^{Cover Image: Trần Lương, Fairy Tale Soup (Chử Đồng Tử and Tiên Dung) 2003, single channel video, still. Image courtesy of the artist.}

To survey an oeuvre is to encounter a lifetime: to understand an artist’s vision, struggles and passion over decades, and to feel the breathtaking sum of its parts. Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain by Trần Lương, now on display at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), is the first international survey exhibition of the Vietnamese contemporary artist and a worthy testament to the power of artistic expression in human connection and overcoming. 

Over the last thirty years, Trần has used art to expand the limits of contemporary artistic expression in Vietnam. The title of the exhibition, Tầm Tã, which can be understood as the phrase ‘soaked in the long rain’, refers to an encounter or experience that is overwhelming. In similar fashion, Trần’s career is all-encompassing, his experimentation taking his practice across multiple genres in pursuit of education and collaboration with Vietnamese communities and the broader Southeast Asian region. 

Curated by Biljana Ciric, Tầm Tã is organised chronologically, beginning with Trần’s oil-on-canvas works, including Chử Đồng Tử and Tiên Dung (1991), which illustrates two figures from Vietnamese mythology. The story tells of a poor fisherman and a princess who defied hierarchies and social norms to be together. Though the figures are compositionally disconnected, the painting’s earthy, warm colours reunite the lovers through nature, sanctioning their bond in a moving depiction of resistance that characterises Trần’s early work. 

Camouflage (2008–ongoing) is a transitional piece in the exhibition, taking Trần’s practice from the traditional and singular to the performative and social. Rendered in Chinese ink, acrylic and gouache on dó paper, Camouflage is site-specific, evolving with each venue in which it is presented. The black, grey and white camouflage prints on the assembled pages represent Trần’s interrogation of obscured cultural knowledge, truth and history. Previously, viewers have walked over the artwork in situ, deconstructing traditional notions of art and exhibition-making. Though Camouflage is not presented on the floor in Tầm Tã at AGWA, it remains a striking and contemplative addition to the exhibition. 

At the end of the gallery is a series of dark rooms housing Trần’s most experimental and performative works, including the video installation Lập Lòe (2012). The term ‘lập lòe’ in Vietnamese means ‘to shine’, a title that alludes both to the digital medium and to Trần’s revelation that the body is the only material that cannot be censored. Across three screens, Trần’s body and the viewer interact with a piece of red fabric used to attack and smother. Lập Lòe proves that the artist’s body endures as a resilient canvas for protest, despite the societal forces that seek to subdue it. 

As someone who knew little about Trần Lương before seeing this exhibition, I found it an excellent entry point into his style and legacy. Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain is a humbling experience and an inspiring reminder of art’s revolutionary qualities. 

Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain runs until August 16th at AGWA.