Underlying by Le Brothers

September 11 - October 15

We invite you to join us for the opening reception on Friday, September 11th at 7 pm.

Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm

Underlying is a 3 channel video installation by Le Brothers that according to the artists depict “a journey to the past told through an imaginary war that takes place in the water. The American war ended before we were born. However, its impacts on Hue, the city we are living in, are so remarkable. During the war, many people sacrificed their lives to protect their homeland. Through art, and through a spiritual connection with the flow of water, we try to express our gratitude to those who gave us the peaceful life.”

Le Brothers are known for their performance and video work exploring the tensions and conflicts between “North and South” by embodying colonial history and the last century’s wars. Their unique approach to history, identity and the interpretation of the past in Underlying results in a presentation of unforgettable events in a refined and dignified manner that invites reflection, while accelerating the viewers’ understanding and provoking a deeper respect for culture and custom.

Born in 1975, and based in Hue, Vietnam, Le Brothers (Duc Hái and Ngoç Thanh Lê) are identical twins, and have performed and exhibited locally and internationally, including the 2013 Singapore Biennale, Palais de Tokyo, and at the DMZ Gang HWA in Korea. In 2014 they went on a film screening tour that included New York University, Brown University, Yale University and MIT. As founders and directors of Vietnam’s first independent contemporary art gallery and artist in residency program New Space Art Foundation in Hue, Vietnam, Le brothers have developed a dynamic local and global artist network since 2008.

Underlying at Centre A marks their first North American solo exhibition. During their residency in Vancouver, Le Brothers will make a dynamic contribution to the discussions and debates about contemporary art practice especially here in the context of this region’s political and cultural dialogues, linking the Pacific coastline and Indigenous territories with Asia. For the finale of their residency, Le Brothers will make a new performance work for the finale of LIVE! Performance Art Biennale in Vancouver.

Underlying is presented in association with LIVE! Performance Art Biennale. “In Conversation with Le Brothers: The Role of Artists in Post War Contemporary Vietnam” is co-organized with LIVE and the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology’ s Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities, and the Institute for Humanities at Simon Fraser University, and the Asian Canadian Studies Society.

Centre A acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Visiting Foreign Artists program in making this project possible.