Quynh Dong

Sweet Noel

2013

Vietnamese-Swedish artist Quynh Dong follows the example of late Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Gia Trí. In this video, she arranges herself in formulaic, "feminine" poses, then uses the images of these different poses to cover a field that appears to be filled with poor-quality artificial flowers. Within this dazzling, supersaturated scene, the artist begins singing karaoke. At first glance, the picture appears almost motionless, with only mechanical, subtle changes taking place at protracted intervals until the end of the piece. Dong uses a series of parodies to strongly ridicule the absurdity found in the transmission of Vietnamese popular culture.

Medium

Video, 1920 x 1080, with colour and music

Duration

7 minutes 53 seconds