Object size: 134.0 x 153.6 x 2.0 cm
Trương Tân graduated from Hanoi University of Fine Art in 1989, and subsequently taught there until 1998. At the University, Trương Tân worked with a close group of friends and students, particularly the artists Nguyễn Minh Thành, Nguyễn Văn Cường and Nguyễn Quang Huy. Often, this group exhibited and performed together. These artists formed a critical avant-garde in the emerging art scene of the early Đổi Mới period, when governmental and ideological restrictions on artists were gradually becoming loosened. This generation of artists were the first to be able to exchange internationally, sell work on the private market and hold exhibitions in alternative spaces outside the official government salons.However, uncertainties and restrictions still remained. This artwork was intended to be shown at an exhibition of works by teachers of the University of Fine Art, but was removed from the exhibition at the last minute. This is an important work in the artist’s oeuvre, which shows the development of his characteristic bold, graphic style, as well as his persistent inclusion of text. In this work, the text asks pressing questions about the position of the artist, and creative and personal freedom.
