Měnh Sẽ Đi Về: New Works by Ellis Duc Luu
‘Měnh Sẽ Đi Về’ is Ellis Duc Luu’s second solo art exhibition. A series of ink drawings that depict the events of the Vietnam war and the refugees that were produced from the outcome. The artwork functions as both a narrative and a letter. One to provide a story of the conflict from an uncommon source. The other, is an intimate letter from the artist to his family. The series tries to weave complex themes of anti-war, grief, satire, and diaspora into a comprehensive vision. What separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom? It is the ability to tell stories, and how humanity can bring such power to these tales that it can warp the fabric of reality. If there is only one storyteller, then their narrative holds dominance. This rings even truer in war, and for years there had only been one story for the Vietnam war...One told by the losers. Měnh Sẽ Đi Về is a fairy tale about the many Vietnamese and southeast Asians who transformed into refugees due to imperialist involvement. On their backs, they carried strife and tribulations to survive in new lands with unknown tastes and scents. This story is to bring some equilibrium to the unbalanced narrative of many who lost their memories and homes. A piece to the ever growing chronicles of refugees around the world, past, present, and future. To be born in familiar comforts, to have it ravished by bloodshed, to mourn over dead echoes, to be disoriented by the unknown, and to try to build a life and a home.