Many local artists in Vietnam share a common ground for artistic inspiration – war – as it characterized a significant part of the country’s 20th century history. The global impacts of these conflicts also influenced the work of foreigners like American-Irish artist, Rodney Dickson.
At the Art Talk held in S.O.C Studio at 3A Alternative Art Area last week, Dickson, the creator of the Queen Bee project, an art installation that addressed the horrid aftermath of the American War, explained his project and demonstrated his approach to drawing.
Queen Bee consists of two installations in two American cities. One is called “The War Remnants Museum” a DIY museum located in Miami, Florida.
“I’m just a guy who is interested in war remnants so I figured, why not make my own war remnants museum?”
The second installation, Queen Bee, Snake Bar and Tea Room in New York City, was inspired by a story told by one of Dickson’s Vietnamese friends, Mai, who found herself walking into a prostitute bar a few days after the War ended and found beer bottles and other items left undisturbed.
This atmosphere of abandonment was the driver for the New York installation where Dickson attempted to recreate the feeling of an empty place that was buzzing only days before.
“Growing up amidst political conflict in Northern Ireland, war has become the object in many of my works.”
Dickson is big on context when making his art, focusing not only on the proverbial foreground, but also the surrounding atmosphere. He put this princeiple on display at the workshop where he challenged attendees to draw a constantly moving model.
“Things change with each moment. So to draw a model that changes his pose every two minutes is almost impossible. What should be drawn is not only the model, but also the atmosphere of this whole room.”
For Dickson, this workshop is only the first step towards becoming more involved with the art scene in Vietnam.
“I’m looking for an opportunity to bring the Snake Bar back to its home, here in Saigon. I want to work more closely with my friend, Mai, to create the Snake Bar in a way that matches her memory.”
