Hùng Lê

Artist Statement

Memories are fragile and can easily be manipulated, making it an essential site of investigation to consider not only what we choose to remember but also what we actively choose to forget. My practice examines the aftermath of the American War in Việt Nam, in particular how personal memory is retained within objects, photographs, and oral traditions compared to how collective or national memory is created and preserved through education, archives, and propaganda.The work continuously attempts to engage with themes of immigration, sexuality, nationality, and the American Dream by weaving together individual narratives and shared history. Unearthing and re-creating memories employ it as a method of resistance and empowerment by centering neglected narratives as a form of personal documentation that negotiates the personal relationship with the social. The continuous picking of these inherited memories highlights how our longing to belong intertwines our perception of ourselves with larger conversations of race, nationality, and gender.

Utilizing fabric, photographs, and found objects in combination with laser engraving and indigo dyeing, memories are excavated and manifest as installations, piecings, and collages as a means to define and redefine individual identity. Through these processes, personal and collective memories become physical spaces where their credibility is questioned, manipulated, and pieced back together.