Tuan Andrew Nguyen's film 'The Boat People' premieres at James Cohan gallery in New York
In March 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American artist, premiered his film 'The Boat People' at the James Cohan gallery in New York. This 35-minute piece narrates the journey of five children, who may be the last remnants of humanity, as they sail to Bataan, Philippines, in search of ancestral tales amidst devastation. Developed during his residency at Bellas Artes Projects, the film delves into themes of memory, displacement, and cultural reclamation, drawing connections to Nguyen's previous work, 'We Were Lost in Our Country' (2019). Throughout their journey, the children visit significant locations, including the Philippine Refugee Processing Center and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Nguyen, originally from Sài Gòn, pursued his studies in the US and currently resides in Ho Chi Minh City.
Key facts
- Tuan Andrew Nguyen's film 'The Boat People' premiered at James Cohan gallery in New York in March 2020
- The film was created during a residency at Bellas Artes Projects in Bataan, Philippines
- It follows five children sailing to Bataan to explore ruins and memorials after an unspecified cataclysm
- Nguyen's earlier film 'We Were Lost in Our Country' debuted at the 2019 Sharjah Architecture Triennial
- The Ngurrara Canvas II (1997) was used as evidence in a Native Title claim that restored territory to the Ngurrara people
- The Philippine Refugee Processing Center near Morong operated from 1980 to the early 1990s for refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam
- The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was built starting in 1976 and abandoned in 1986 after costing over $2.3 billion
- A statue head in the film states 'I'm at the service of human memory, a stand-in for someone'
Entities
Artists
- Tuan Andrew Nguyen
- Ngurrara Elders
- Gina Apostol
- John Wayne
Institutions
- James Cohan gallery
- Bellas Artes Projects
- Sharjah Architecture Triennial
- Cal Arts
- Philippine Refugee Processing Center
- Bataan Technology Park
- Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
- Mount Samat National Shrine
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Bataan
- Philippines
- Luzon
- Morong
- Sài Gòn
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam
- Great Sandy Desert
- Australia
- Sharjah
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Venice
- Italy
- Chernobyl
- Mount Pinatubo