As a gamer who’s spent countless hours navigating digital landscapes and immersing myself in virtual narratives, I found Tra My Nguyen‘s exhibition at GROTTO Gallery, titled “Fallen Angels,” to be an enthralling blend of real-world experiences with the aesthetic sensibilities of contemporary cinema. The neon-lit motorcycle scene from Wong Kar-wai’s film evokes a similar sense of melancholic romanticism that I often encounter in video games, where characters embark on emotional journeys through vibrant, digital landscapes.
The neon-lit tenderness of the motorcycle in Wong Kar-wai’s film Fallen Angels has grown to be one of the most iconic shots in modern cinema. The scene captures a melancholic romanticism as Michelle Reis and Takeshi Kaneshiro’s characters become one with the bike that carries them forward, bodies folded atop one another.
In “Fallen Angels”, Tra My Nguyen narrates a tale that intertwines memory and motion. Drawing inspiration from the iconic neo-noir film, Nguyen crafts urban verses using perspectives from her diasporic background for her latest solo show at GROTTO. Based in Berlin, she paints a new picture of her Vietnamese childhood through skewed snapshots, as the city streets of Hanoi become a battleground for mobility, body politics, and gender dynamics. Her work, which spans textile, video, and sculpture, offers a fresh perspective on material culture.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by TRA MY NGUYEN (@tra.my1)
A significant portion of this show’s aesthetic is inspired by Vietnamese motorcycle cultures, where women often dress in vibrant, contrasting floral patterns. The installation titled “Riders’ Arc” features a motorbike adorned with protective materials in similar styles. As Brooke Wilson puts it in her gallery statement, these garments swiftly transition from design to market, constantly adapting to the latest fashions and amplifying the idea of mass-production. The clothing pieces interact both literally and symbolically with concepts of speed; skirts flutter and cinch at the waist, while jackets zip up to the head – fast, quick, and easy.
Discussions between fabric and skin expand the concept of physical bodies into digital and comfortable designs, and Nguyen employs her fashion design expertise to blur the boundary between art and clothing, thereby giving birth to a fresh perspective on body politics. The works “Bodies (The Lovers)” and “Day” employ a textile-centric method, with digital distortions generating patterns that resemble glitches.
The exhibition titled “Fallen Angels” explores significance within an extremely interconnected global society, contemplating our past and future trajectories. Currently being showcased at GROTTO until August 29, 2024.
GROTTO Gallery
Bartningallee 5
Berlin, Germany
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2024-08-28 00:26