Souvenvirs of Vietnam explored the tragic long-term trajectories of war in Vietnam at the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Surface, was a series of photographs of soil samples taken at locations such as My Lai, Khe Sanh, Hué and Dien Bien Phu; all sites of battles with either American or French forces.
Referencing the notion of soil as a symbol of home, the samples became a visual index of social, political and historical events. With constituents including chemical residues from the spraying of Agent Orange, a defoliant whose key ingredient, dioxin, continues to cause birth defects long after demilitarization, the dirt is a potent symbol of the tragedy of conflict within a specific geographic location.
The exhibition also included a second body of work composed of postcards of tourist sites in Vietnam, including museums, war memorials and monuments.
Liza Nguyen was born in France and divides her time between Paris and Dusseldorf. In Dusseldorf, she works with Thomas Ruff at the Fine Art Academy. She has two Master degrees: one from Sobornne and the other from the national school, Louis Lumiere in Photography. Liza Nguyen has exhibited her work in Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. Her artist book My Father received several awards in France, including La bourse du Talent. Souvenirs of Vietnam recently received the Prix Fnac de la Photographie and the grand prize of the International Biennial of Art of Lulea in Sweden.