This evening we went over to the opening of an exhibit called "Transpop: Korea Vietnam Remix," which is a collection of art dealing with Korean and Vietnamese identity, particularly after the Vietnam War. The description of the exhibit is interesting:L

"The interactions between Vietnam and Korea span centuries but the exhibition's focus lies in their shared history of a highly accelerated modernization process. During the American War in Vietnam, the Republic of Korea was the second largest foreign military and economic presence in Vietnam behind the United States. The financial boon from the involvement in the war played a catalytic role in the economic development of Korea. The legacy of the Cold Wars is evident in the large Korean and Vietnamese diasporic communities in the U.S.A. In Vietnam, this accelerated modernity is evident in the breakneck speed of current economic development, as well as its entry into the World Trade Organization."


You can read more here at the exhibit website.

It is curated by Viet Le and also by Yong Soon Min, who is from UC-Irvine and was part of that Seoul National University conference on migration last month where I presented on Mexican migrant music. It was interesting to have had a chance to hear her give a paper on Korean-American art (about which I knew nothing) and to see her work as a curator in this setting.

The exhibit was out at the Arko Art Center, where neither of us have been before, so that was a good excuse to get out there too.

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