The OC Register added to the mix its thoughts about the shut down of FOB II: Art Speaks in a column by Richard Chang on the paper’s Arts Blog, here.
Excerpts:
The protesters, mainly older Vietnamese residents of Orange County and Southern California, chanted slogans and denounced the curators and organizers of the exhibit at a news conference today. They said the image was pro-communist and threatened a larger protest over the weekend. “F.O.B. II” was due to close on Sunday.
The protesters brought pictures of a girl in a bikini with the yellow star on her butt and a Ho Chi Minh bust in the toilet. They called that “real art.”
….
While I’ve written some stories about Vietnamese protests in the past, I don’t know the whole history behind the protesters and their concerns. Yet, it seems like they have a lot of power if they can shut down an art exhibit that featured a lot of different kinds of work, much of it non-political, plus get two editors at a local paper fired.
I thought the United States was a place where freedom of speech and expression are protected by the Constitution. But apparently, those rights are not fully protected or respected in certain communities here.
The Bolsavik is curious: Whoever made that “real art” – where the heck did he get the bust of Ho Chi Minh and the red flag bikini bottom?
Truyện Kiều_Nguyễn Du
…
Có tài mà cậy chi tài,
Chữ tài liền với chữ tai một vần.
Đã mang lấy nghiệp vào thân,
Cũng đừng trách lẫn trời gần trời xa.
Thiện căn ở tại lòng ta,
Chữ tâm kia mới bằng ba chữ tài.
Country First,
I had what you wrote translated and agree that Brian Doan does have the gift, but unfortunately, the audience is not ready for the topic of communist VN.
I find his portrait of the young woman with the communist theme tank top rather slick. He goes out of his way not to give VN the brochure appearance. He chooses an ordinary girl to pose, not a full figure fashion model, to appeal to mainstream viewers. The red top with a yellow star is to emphasize that she lives in Vietnam, not a VN American woman adopting communism. If she were, she would don any tank top and have a larger bust of HCM next to her to promote her belief.
Being that VN is communist, HCM is an integral part of the VN communist movement and history. Brian chooses to display a small bust of HCM, not a life size one – then he would be coming across heavy handedly and emphazing the importance of HCM/communism. Also, the miniature HCM bust is in the background, not forefront.
If the viewer were to look carefully, the lighting is too bright casting shadow on the wall, giving the portrait the appearance of a home taken picture, not a public relations picture taking session. I doubt Brian Doan lacks the expertise to allow such amateurish mistakes.
You will notice that Brian Doan chooses to use the home environment as the background drop to indicate that the core value of VN communism is the family.
My take on the picture is that Vietnam is made up of mostly young people born after the Vietnam war. VN Americans should not hold the past against these individuals. The people in communist VN are not that much different from Viets here in the States.
However, the picture does not present any information on the inviduals running communist VN. Are they of the same generation and hold the same view as the young people in the picture? Or are these pictures a crafty PR job to deceive VN Americans into thinking that they are like regular “Joe Viets” here in the States?
I hope they do not move this “non-art display” to the USC campus! What has happened to the flag issue at the USC? Can someone update the info? It was the talk of the town for awhile.
Mr. Freddie Ngo,
I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me. Your interpretation of the artwork of Mr. Brian Doan is insightful and accurate. Contrary to even the author’s own description on many TV interviews, his work conveys a image of modern life under communist regime, the intertwining and transposition of arts and politics.
The young lady is a metaphor for the current domestic perception of social beauty and all of its ubiquitous requisite ( the flag and the statue ).
The author wants viewers to accept his premise of beauty to really understand his artwork. Brain Doan should have been more honest with the community.
The Bastard Brian Doan’s photo work is nothing special in terms of quality is concerned…. I have seen plenty of photos with similar qualities at swapmeet.
Mr. Jung Kim,
You are indeed falling into the trap of Mr. Brian Doan. His intent is to disperse his concept of social beauty within communist power structure to the lowest common denominator, and the flee market would be a perfect place. Swapmeet is one place one could find plethora of santinized pictures of Mao Zedong, of Che Guevara.
It is the general public he wants to INFLUENCE and impress, not YOU.
Country First, I was talking about the quality of his work not the context.
Bastard Brian’s intention is get attention of viet americans..that we all know
Any children of age older than 7 can take pictures of communist flag in background… Bastard Brian needs to wake up from his fancy dream.
Bastard Brian Doan can’t impress anyone with lousy pictures depicting the symbols of communism……………. we can all do that in a split second when we wanted to…….. but we have chosen not to do it with free will.
There is nothing special about his work or attempt.
They say if you are chanting in admiration for communism… go live under it’s social structure first.
The same argument applies to those who have not adopted American values. If you cannot uphold American virtues, go elsewhere.
Also, the discussion focuses on Brian Doan’s artwork, not communist VN. To lump everything into communist VN misses the point of discussion.
I can live with first point but american values has been also formulated into account of good cultural backgorunds of many immigrants.
We are not missing the point when selective individual’s wrong decision is dissected under lime light….all for the public’s benefit
Brian Doan’s work should be the topic of discussion. It appears that there are many people who still have lingering pain regarding the brutality of communist VN.
These people can put faces on their losses. It is important that interested parties vocalize their feelings in a peaceful and civil manner.
This way, the community can understand their thoughts and feelings.
Mr. Roland Vu,
Brian Doan’s artwork deliberately injects a political dimension, which the author wants to project his version of artistic integration of political power.
His work conveys a image of modern life under communist regime, the intertwining and transposition of arts and politics.
The young lady is a metaphor for the current domestic perception of social beauty and all of its ubiquitous requisite ( the flag and the statue ).
The author WANTS viewers to ACCEPT his premise of beauty to really understand his artwork.
Any discussion of his art must start from ONE particular political point of reference. His intent is to transform, and to normalize historical/political symbols into everyday social arts. A debate on politics is inevitable.
The volumn can be adjusted accordingly..hopefully in a civil manner.
The concept of beauty and the bloody communism can’t mix. This common sense needs to be drilled inside of Bastard Brian’s brain.
Country First,
Sir, I concur, so please articulate or elaborate your stories or points. We are sincerely interested to read the atrocities committed by communist VN, so we all know what these Viets went through.
We need more personal accounts, whether in Vietnamese or English, but not through organized leaders – they probably did not even experience it.
Go study all asian nation’s history invaded by the communists. .. Vietnam, Cambodia and Korea.
Equal atrocities were committed by Japanese soldiers.
JK, nothing hits home stronger than personal accounts!
Mr. Roland Vu,
Thank you for your attention; However, I am sorry to disappoint you that my personal experience might be not relevant to the topic of the day which is Mr. Brian Doan’s artwork. My opinion of his work has been repeatedly elaborated here.
If a viewer rejects his point of reference, there is nothing else to talk.
His attempt is a YES or NO proposition, similar to his opposition group’s stand : either you are with me, or you are with my enemy.
” Remarkable similarity ”
Mr. Brian Doan has learned it well from the Vietnamese community.
or should I rephrase it to
“Like father like son”
to emphasize his ironic family tragedy, victims of history, once and again.
The Bastard Doan would not listen to his own father’s plea… arrogance in it’s extreme stage.
Mr. Jung Kim,
I am sorry that you miss my point, once again.
I mean to say Mr. Doan is a product of the Santa Ana Vietnamese radicalism.
Country First,
Do you know where Santa Ana is and its ethnicitiies, let alone its political views?
The Road Not Taken _ Robert Frost (1874–1963)
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
“I am taking a different route, less traveled by anyone”
The vietnamese radicals from Santa Ana? Many radicals that I know still obeys their parents. Bastard Brian Doan only serves his own fame.
JK,
Didn’t Brian Doan’s fahter opposed his own son’s “photo art”, but the boy didn’t listen to him? Is this the son’s fault or the father’s fault for failing to properly teach his son to listen to his elders?
You keep telling them the truth, even when it hurts, man.
Disobedient Bastard Brain Doan needs to be whipped by his dad in the public location.
or Bastard Brian Doan can be incarcerated in Santa Ana zoo..only to be molested by unhappy chimps.
JK, why not add “Rat” to complete the title? Hahaha.
It’s inhumane to allow rat to molest Bastard Brian Doan. Animal activists might protest in front of SA zoo.
JK, ever heard of the expression, rat bastard?
“chau nguyen Says:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
These elderly protesters have a severe case of allergic reaction to anything red, much like those bulls in one of those Spanish bull-fighting arena.”
Chau Nguyen, I like your good sense of humor!
Yes, Bastard Brian Doan tarnished the name of all real viet artists.
Why don’t we call him a rat bastard instead… from Long Beach City College? Has anyone called this college yet?
I wonder how much did Brian Doan and the Gang of Three (Ysa Le, Tram Le, Lan Duong) get paid? Wonder if its in Ho Chi Minh dollars or in Benjamins
i dont know what Brian Doan is thinking. Could he at least get a girl with bigger tits on his photo art. That girls look fine but she seriously need a boob job
Gotta respect an artist for his point of view, whether it s politically correct or not but..
That Brian Doan is not that much of a genius at all guys…What he explains and what that picture shows really doesn t match. All he had to do is to put a stack of napkins under the statue and pick a girl with no make-up or sharp eye-browns, a typical Vietnamese country girl look…That will really highlight his explaination..Hey Lookie Here People..This Woshiped Symbol Is Just Paper Weight?..And This Everyday Girl Can Use The Flag For A Tee?..
There would be no misleading translations or protests…End of story.
I think some pictures from the out door swapmeet have better qualities than Bastard Brian Doan’s work.
This link is a reply letter from M.P.T. to VAALA:
http://thtinfo.com/smcddotinfo/docs/VanNan/2009vaala/2009-01-21_VietArt-2-vaala.pdf
…
With this rather long letter and I still have so much to say – seriously :=), I understand that
communication is an essential element to the future of the Vietnamese community, between the
young and the old, the young and the young, the Vietnamese and the non-Vietnamese, etc. There is
no doubt that the community needs your leadership, your wisdom, and your courage. In particular,
the “new established Vietnamese film industry” needs VAALA, the artists needs VAALA (by the way,
congratulation on the VAALA Art Center), to help with the development and advancement of
Vietnamese Arts and Culture. On the other hand, VAALA needs the support and the love of the
Vietnamese community to carry out your mission. .
If you would like to join with the greater causes that many other young Vietnamese are in pursuit,
then the first and mandatory action I would advise you is to “formally say sorry” to the Vietnamese
community. You are the beloved children and the role models of the community. I am sure that the
community members will open their arms and the hearts again to you.
Don’t be stubborn! Since you grew up here, I hope you naturally inherit this great American trait
(that the Vietnamese culture does not have) of say “sorry” as soon as a mistake (small or big) is
realized. If you do so, just like the TCS concert, I would gladly go out of my way to work with VAALA
for future “cool” projects” as well as to bring happiness to the Vietnamese community :=).
I leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa:
Once you know you have hurt someone be the first to say sorry. We cannot forgive unless we
know that we need forgiveness, and forgiveness is the beginning of love.
All the best to you, VAALA, and Happy New Year! Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!
Michelle Phương Thảo
Executive Director of Viet Art Center.
I agree. It’s important to learn from past mistakes…and make it part of our life- long education.
JK accepting apologies from the people when he is among the few who called B. Doan names…what a hypocrite! I don’t know why Mr Bolsavik does not ban you, you good for nada. Sonny Tran is your replacement because you are obsolete and weak!
Hey Kiet…Calling somebody else “obsolete and weak”?…heh?…
Show me your own view in this Brian Doan s art work?…Your own, not blindly copy others see how low is your IQ level?…
I merely advice to put the bust on top of a stack of napkins or papers to reflect his explanation as to use it as a simple paper weight?…That way, the protestors got no reason to critisize….You got a better idea?..Or you re just like that Jose S…..Nothing but a pitbull?…
Kiet Dylan, I call Bastard Brian Doan for right reason….. this idiot has broken his dad’s heart with this non sense pro commie propaganda act.
Sonny, you and Jung Kim must be brothers, both foul mouth, no good big talkers. Don’t show up at the festival this weekend and disturb the good people of Little Saigon. It’s the New Year and time for change and progress.
I side with Jose S and completely denounce you, your stinking view and your pal, Jung Kim.
As for the bust serving as a paper napkin holder, you could put that in the toilet so conserve water. Got that?
Kiet Dylan, a unhappy camper in love with mexican butt licking jose, are you going to show us your chimp dance this weekend?
Time for change and progress is……………………. removing unhealthy mexican butt lickers out of our town and Kiet Darling included.
Jung Kim, if you don’t like it then keep your view to yourself, but don’t influence others. Let them decide for themselves. You shoot down any view different than yours.
Actually when Viet Dzung brought out Brian Doan’s dad, it struck me how it was exactly like the communists’ “land reform” (cải cách ruộng đất, đấu tố) when the communists would bring out family members to say they’re sorry and denounce their father, mother, children, etc.
Mr. Bolsavik,
How dare you speak against Jung Kim? Your view is inconsequential; we are in the midst of rooting out all the commies in Li’l Saigon, and you may be one of them. Keep hiding Mr. Bolsavik because Jung Kim will find you.