An Omen Near and Far: Tour & Talk

SYDNEY, SAT 10 JUNE, 11.00AM – 12.30PM

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art

Part of the public program for 4A’s exhibition Dacchi Dang: An Omen Near and Far

Join 4A for an artist-led exhibition tour of Dacchi Dang: An Omen Near and Far followed by a panel discussion centred on Dacchi Dang’s current production of a new body of work commissioned by the Australian War Memorial.

Showcasing work spanning three decades, Dacchi Dang: An Omen Near and Far is the first survey exhibition of one of the preeminent Vietnamese-Australian artists working today. Dang will lead a tour of the exhibition, offering insights into the evolution of his practice across photography, printmaking, and video, and discuss the development of his new installation work, specially commissioned by 4A for the exhibition, that has arisen from research undertaken during a return to Vietnam in 2017.

Following the tour, 4A hosts a panel discussion between the artist, Dr Anthea Gunn, Senior Curator of Art at the Australian War Memorial, and 4A Program Manager Pedro de Almeida centred upon Dacchi’s creation of a new body of work for the Australian War Memorial’s Gillespie Bequest commission (2016-2018).

In 2012 a bequest was left to the Australian War Memorial by the retired Major John Milton Gillespie, a Vietnam veteran and immigration consultant. In recognition of both this significant gift and Mr Gillespie’s life and work, the Memorial decided to use the bequest to commission work that explores the wartime experience of Vietnamese–Australians and its legacy today. Engaging Australian and Vietnamese–Australians military veterans of the Vietnam War – whom the artist has recorded interviews with around Australia – and engaging with the Memorial’s extensive collection and archives, Dang’s nationally significant commission will represent the first contribution from a Vietnamese–Australian artist to the Memorial’s art collection.

The exhibition tour led by Dacchi Dang will run for 30 minutes from 11.00am – 11.30am, followed by a 60-minute panel discussion from 11.30am – 12.30pm allowing time for audience questions.