2 August 2024, 11:00 - 12:00
Most Vietnamese migrants living along the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia (part of the Mekong River system) do not have citizenship and face many difficulties such as lack of identity documents, absence of social welfare policies, lack of legal protection, discrimination, environmental pollution, depletion of fishery resources, threatened livelihoods, and difficulty accessing employment opportunities. The "Day by Day" project (started in 2014) is an effort to research and respond to the situation of this group through various art forms such as documentary films, video art, photography, installations, and journalism. Through my presentation of the project, I want to emphasise the archival nature of art; how art can respond to urgent societal issues and serve as a means of social cohesion.
Thanh Mai works with a variety of media, including photography and video. Her earlier works concentrated on issues relating to women's experiences and rights in Asian social contexts. Recently, her practice has turned to questions of identity, both personal and collective, including issues of migrants' experiences and rights. She explores the complex relationships between individuals and society and the role of fantasy and imagination in people’s conception of their existence. In 2014, The Factory, Vietnam awarded Thanh Mai the Pollock-Krasner Grant and Artist Excellence Award 2021.