VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT PUSHES ARTIST RESIDENCY INTO HIATUS

After a steady stream of random visits from Vietnam’s cultural police, Sàn Art Laboratory, a renowned residency program for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian artists, located in Ho Chi Minh City, announced that it will be closing, at least for the time being, on February 22, states Hyperallergic’s Ben Valentine.

The program, nicknamed the Lab, is a fully-funded, six-month residency that supports six artists annually with workspace, lodging, all living expenses, and $1000 towards the production of artworks. Nguyen Bich Tra, the Lab’s manager, believes the problems are due to various staff changes within the government’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. But, according to Tra, contemporary arts institutions, because they answer directly to the government for various licenses and funding, face a great deal of scrutiny within the country, where censorship is familiar.

“The discontinuation is only [temporary],” says Tra. “The Lab has proven essential for artists, and we’ll find the way to keep this support going by seeking legal advice and also re-strategizing the activities under given circumstances. Free expression is a right anywhere in the world; Vietnam should not be an exception.”