Art can evoke strong feelings and the ghosts of past trauma, as evidenced this semester by the exhibit Surrounded by Ghosts: Hauntings in the Vietnamese Diaspora, featuring the work of three artists in the Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery at CT State Community College Manchester from March 28-April 23.
The show was part of the school’s 2024–2025 Common Read Program and connects with the book Time is a Mother by poet and artist Ocean Vuong. The art and the book both talk about feelings of sadness, memories and family.
In addition to Vuong, who was born in Vietnam, artists Xuân Pham, and Thuan Vu also had pieces in the show. Their work includes poems, photos, drawings, and talisman fabrics that all help tell stories about being Vietnamese and living in America, and how the Vietnam War, which officially ended 50 years ago, on April 30, 1975, still affects families today.
The three artists talked about their work in the SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium on April 11 and also took questions from the audience.
Vuong submitted three photos for the exhibit and one, Brothers, 2024, features him and another man holding an American flag across the frame.
Vu, who was born in Vietnam, but grew up in New Orleans, draws and paints big portraits that look like old family pictures from Vietnam.
“To hear that work has so much to do with that feeling of sadness, grief, trauma, and being born… there’s a melancholy that whispers,” Vu said. “It’s something that has been present throughout my whole life. My system has always been balanced, finding the joy of life, finding hope, knowing that I have all the opportunity, and also recognizing where I came from.”
Pham was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and moved to Omaha, Nebraska when she was seven years old, according to the exhibit description that accompanied the show. Her mixed media art means she doesn’t just use paint or pencils, she uses lots of different things like fabric, plants, drawings, old objects, and big sculptures you can walk around.
Her art is about strong feelings, like sadness and grief. These are feelings people don’t always show on the outside. She calls this feeling “ghostliness,” because it’s there, even if you can’t see it.
To see more about the show visit CT State Manchester’s Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/mcc_ct_artdept/p/DHuNTnSM7x5/?img_index=2.
