Vietnam: The Landscape of Memories

The Vietnam War (Resistance War against America/The Second Indochina War), which ended in 1975, is well known for the victory of Vietnam against a great power, the USA, which resulted in a drastic change in the conventional situation of the world itself. The exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, reflecting 100 years of history in Vietnam, a country which continuously underwent multiple challenges on global level since after the modern times, including their fight to independence against Western colonial rule, refugee crisis and globalization, through visual works of Vietnamese artists and graphic images which number up to 110. Paintings that gracefully illustrated the ideal landscapes of their homeland, powerfully designed posters printed to encourage people to join the revolutionary movement, and contemporary works that redescribe the history recognized through the memories of families, are among diverse representations of artists who confronted their home country and themselves, which vividly expose the previously unseen “memory-scape” surrounding modern and contemporary Vietnam.

As we face continuous conflicts and violence across the globe, we hope the exhibition contributes to reinterpreting the world we live in and building mutual understanding between Vietnam and Japan, which have become increasingly important to each other in recent years.