Unsubtitled was first shown at the re-opening of Nha San Studio in 2010, Hanoi's first experimental art space established in 1998. It was forced to close suddenly due to a period of government clampdown on contemporary art practices after photos of an artist performing in the nude were released. The people featured in this work are all artists and cultural practitioners who were part of the Nha San Studio network. The artist's statement, “Eating needs no explanation” is a powerful commentary on the extent of surveillance and intimidation that contemporary Vietnamese artists face. A sophisticated and thoughtful new media work that quietly defies the oppression on contemporary artistic practice by the Vietnamese government, Unsubtitled is highly significant piece marking the present trajectory of contemporary art development in Vietnam today.Nguyen Trinh Thi is the founder and director of DOCLAB, an independent centre for documentary film and video art in Hanoi, established in 2009. She also founded the Hanoi Independent Documentary & Experimental Filmmakers Forum (Hi-DEFF) in 2007. Her documentary and experimental films have been screened and exhibited internationally across Europe, China, Brazil, America and Asia.
