Bao Vuong. The Crossing

Bao Vuong was born in the Mekong Delta in the late 1970s. When he was just one year old, he had to flee Vietnam for France with his family. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts de Toulon and the École Supérieure d'Art d'Avignon, he returned to Vietnam to work as a visual artist. His work, and in particular the series "The Crossing" presented in this book, is strongly inspired by this flight and explores the themes of identity, memory and exile. Bao Vuong mainly depicts large, moving and elusive stretches of water by sculpting large masses of black paint and using various mediums such as graphite or incense ash. He thus seeks to convey the emotional experience of the journey, and to provoke a wider reflection on the condition of refugees and migrants around the world. His work tends to go beyond individual testimony to bring us closer to a universal collective memory, recalling the emotions shared by those who have experienced similar exoduses. The artist insists on the singularity of his approach, which aims to establish a sentimental and spiritual connection with the viewer, while leaving room for personal interpretation. His work reflects a desire to transform individual and collective trauma into a bright and universal artistic expression.