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Performance Art, Concrete & Fire - Photo-Essay

A girl from one of the neighboring farms was shy yet fascinated by all the strange guests.

A girl from one of the neighboring farms was shy yet fascinated by all the strange guests.

A girl from one of the neighboring farms was shy yet fascinated by all the strange guests. Charming caddies in cute uniforms at the atrocious Korean hotel down the dirt road from Khanh's land. Khanh's girlfriend's long Swiss legs and feet, dancing in the rain and chalk after his performance. Plastic banners flap in late-summer wind before the performance. Ingenuity in a beautiful setting.

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  • Image © 2009 Elizabeth Briel

Preparations

The highlight of my time in Hanoi actually took place outside of town: a birthday party for Anh Khanh. He owns a piece of land 50km outside the city, and a few dozen friends planned to celebrate the night drinking rice wine, barbequing, and dancing to a DJ after Khanh's performance. I'd met him a few days before, so he'd invited me along.


Khanh performing on one of his gigantic sculptures

This artist has been commonly described as "an ex-cop" or "the craziest artist in Hanoi", though neither label sums up his vision or his unique blend of improv performance; intuitive singing and dancing; painting; and sculpture. Khanh has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of art in the conservative Vietnamese capital.


Hand shadows

 

Fact File: 

Performance artist's website: http://www.daoanhkhanh.com

Acknowledgement: 

This 6-week Vietnam trip was possible thanks to a travel grant from ThingsAsian.

A shorter version of this photo-essay was published on the author's blog: http://elizabethbriel.blogspot.com

Published on 2/11/09

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