ĐỘNG… TƯỢNG (Sculpting the CHANGE)

Date: March 2, 2023 - March 5, 2023

Location: Ethnic Boarding High School, Kontum, Vietnam

Curated by: YUU Organization members

Artists: Vietnamese artisans

Curatorial Statement:

The tomb statue, few people know, is the origin of the Central Highlands folk wooden statue. As a gift, a final sentiment to say goodbye to the deceased, the statue was sculpted and given as a farewell with many deep feelings of the living. The exhibition “ĐỘNG… TƯỢNG (Sculpting the Change)” paints a large picture of the Central Highlands folk wooden statue and the journey to find the origin of this cultural feature.

The exhibition reception opened with a performance of central highland music - gong, followed up a documentary film about history and cultural preservation of the wooden statues, and concluded with an exhibition of curated wooden sculptures. The exhibition brought audience into the cultural space of the Central Highlands wooden statue, and opened up questions about the future of the ceremony of abandoning the code and the tomb statue, a cultural practice that is gradually fading away in the next generation.