Hien Cao Art

* VIDEO ' Lost Identity, (2021)' click on YouTube t o watch the video on the bigger screen

* Lost Identity The work ' Lost Identity, (2021)'  is a mould of my own current head, is made of latex and cloth and filled with beehive - inspired by Marc Quinn's self-portrait, a head made from the artist's own blood that requires a refrigeration unit to preserve it. Latex is an easy material to shape but difficult to destroy once dry; my features will remain forever after my life. This latex-fabric self-portrait is a self-reflection of my own identity and my origins. In my generation, the children of migrants have one foot inside and the other outside. We are not from here, nor are we from there. We grow up and realize that our identity is not pure, but a hybrid. There are moments when curiosity flourishes to know one’s own lost identity. The search is like a jigsaw puzzle in which there are still some pieces missing to complete it. The diversity of cultures, multilingualism, and the experiences that I have lived through in different places have given me great wealth...

* The Role of… The work 'The Role of…' On many occasions, the judicial powers are mixed with the political powers and vice-versa. The separation of powers doesn't exist and in most cases, politicians are judged under a political tendency.

* Crossing to the other shore 'Crossing to the other shore, (2021)' To understand the structures of society and human behaviour, many authors use the beehive as an anthropological analysis. In "The Hive: The Story of the Honeybee and Us (2004)", Bee Wilson notes that “the beehive has been, in turn, monarchical, oligarchic, aristocratic, constitutional, imperial, republican, absolute, moderate, communist, anarchist and even fascist. However, never democratic.” The piece "Crossing to the other shore, (2021)" is a textile latex structure imitating the perfect geometric shapes of the beehive. The cloth damaged, torn and creasing, it evokes the worn nations, deteriorated by patriarchal laws, conflicts and forced migrations. The choice of latex is due to the similarity of appearance it has with human tissue. Anne Hamlyn pointed out that the clothes are “surrogate skin, a body at one remove." The skin is the largest bodily organ. By using the animal's ski...

* The First Stitch 'The First Stitch, (2021)' represents the two shirts sewn by Hien's mother. They were one of the few things her mother was able to take with her when Hien’s family fled their home country because of war. Clothing is not frivolous. It can reveal a true reality, lived experiences that surround our bodies, our lives, our identity. It helps us to create memories that are important to us. Threads and seams explain how her mother managed to fix one of the ripped shirts with what little they had in the refugee camp in the Philippines. These shirts evoke lived experiences, the origins of her culture and at the same time reveal her Vietnamese identity. The fabrics used to make the shirts were made in Vietnam and so she can boast that these two pieces of clothing represent the authenticity of a lost but not forgotten identity. “Hien’s mother portrait” The portrait of Hien’s mother done by a sewing machine recalls the image of a young Vietnamese woman deeply immers...

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