artLIVE – Vietnam Art Collection (VAC) welcomes artist KV Duong with his Open Studio – Welcome Home exhibition. The exhibition offers the public a glimpse into the artist’s ongoing artistic practice while also opening up profound reflections on the concept of ‘home’ within historical and contemporary contexts.
This event provides a rare opportunity for the public to engage directly with the artist’s work and introduces the first pieces from a new series he developed during his residency at VAC Hanoi.
Titled ‘Welcome Home,’ the project takes place on the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification and the 80th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence—a special historical context where the artist’s personal story intertwines with collective memory and national identity.
‘Home’ – A redefinition
At the heart of ‘Welcome Home’ is a familiar but never-easy question: ‘What does home mean?’ For many, home is a sanctuary, a peaceful place that welcomes them after a long time away. However, for those who have experienced historical upheavals, war, or displacement, ‘home’ can be a haunting memory of loss and things that could not be held onto.
For the LGBTQIA+ community, this question becomes even more complex. Home can be a place of love, but it can also be the first place where they face rejection and prejudice. The walls that provide shelter can sometimes be barriers, making the journey of self-discovery all the more precarious.
In KV Duong’s view, ‘home’ is not a fixed definition but a layered concept intertwined with material objects, memories, and emotions. It can exist in the familiar scent of a family meal, the crisp laughter of children, or in an old, forgotten object one stumbles upon. These small details awaken seemingly dormant memories while containing many layers of meaning about familiarity and connection.
Familiar objects in a new guise
Upon entering the main gallery, visitors find themselves in a space that is both familiar and strange, where childhood and family memories are re-created in new forms. In the middle of the room, a set of children’s chairs and a table are suspended in the air, causing viewers to pause. Originally objects tied to the beginning of childhood, the table and chairs have now lost their function, lifted from the ground to become ‘suspended’ memories. This image evokes a sense of uncertainty and fragility, as if memories could vanish at any moment.
Opposite, a wooden door has been ‘deconstructed.’ Once a clear boundary between inside and outside, private and public, the door is no longer whole but is engraved with words in Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. This multilingualism reflects the artist’s multi-layered identity. The door thus becomes a symbol of movement and the intertwining layers of cultural influence.
On the opposite side, next to the portraits of children, are KV Duong’s siblings, appearing as living witnesses to his family’s memories. These images evoke both a sense of protection and a sense of obligation, reminding viewers that family is always a place that holds both love and challenges.
What’s special is that the chairs, table, door, and portraits have all been treated by the artist with latex. The familiar surfaces are covered with a translucent layer of latex, replacing their original form with a new skin. Here, latex carries multiple meanings; in the Vietnamese context, it recalls the history of rubber plantations during the French colonial period—a place of heavy labor and immense suffering.
In a global context, latex is associated with queer culture, with symbolic fetishism and sensuality. Thanks to this, these once-functional, familiar, and ‘family’ objects are now imbued with new layers of meaning, creating a multi-dimensional dialogue between history and identity.
Scars of war and the power of rebirth
Moving into the second room, viewers immediately feel a strong shift in the atmosphere. Here, KV Duong recreates the scene of a bomb crater—a remnant from the fierce bombing campaigns by the U.S. more than half a century ago. Before the viewers’ eyes is a rough surface, a wound on the land, a historical memory still etched in the collective consciousness.
However, what the artist wants the audience to feel is not just the destruction. Over time, the bomb craters have been ‘reclaimed’ by nature, transforming into ‘bomb ponds’ where plants grow, water collects, and life is reborn. This transformation both recalls the pain of the past and demonstrates the unending power of the land and its people to heal.
In this installation, KV Duong creates a space where viewers can confront the remnants of war while also feeling the resilience of life. The coexistence of destruction and rebirth becomes the central message: painful memories are not erased but are transformed into a foundation for healing and hope. Visitors entering this room are not just observers but are forced to reflect on the relationship between the past, present, and future.
VAC Director, Sophie Huang, shares: “The concept of ‘home’ has never ceased to be a hot topic in a fragmented and volatile global society. For Vietnam, where peace has been present for half a century, reunification and blood ties remain central to public dialogue. ‘Welcome Home’ connects these past stories in a way that is both moving and thought-provoking, and we are very eager to hear the audience’s feedback“.
About the Artist KV Duong
KV (Kien Vinh 建 榮) Duong (born in 1980 in Ho Chi Minh City) is a Chinese-Vietnamese artist. Born in Vietnam, raised in Canada, and now living and working in the UK, he carries with him the profound experiences of migration, integration, and cultural conflict through his personal and family history.
In recent years, KV Duong’s artistic practice has been recognized and featured in many important international exhibitions. These include An Uncommon Thread (Hauser & Wirth, Somerset, 2025), Portals (Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, 2025), No Place Like Home (Museum of The Home, London, 2023), and Too Foreign for Home, Too Foreign for Here (Migration Museum, London, 2022).
Photos: VAC
