Vietnamese Artists Collective	Show Archive

On Friday April 29, 2005, a community shaped by war, but not defined by it, remembers the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Vietnamese people around the world with an evening of prose, poetry, and art.

April 29, 2005, 8-11pm Locus Arts 2857 24th St @ Bryant SF, CA 94110 Admission: $5-10 sliding scale

Film screening of The Anniversary by Ham Tran. Performances by novelist Ly Nguyen, poet Dandiggity, poetess Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen, writer Ky-Phong Tran, guitarist Linh Gia Nguyen, humorist Danny Thanh Nguyen, and a Collective poetry piece.  Plus special guests comic book artists Thien Pham and Vinh Ngo.

30    n., v., 1. The act of putting down a weapon of any kind - whether physical or mental.  2. Finally having the courage to look back and let go.  3. years of settling, years of struggle, years of building community.  4. Curves of a body before giving birth, my lifetime of orbits around the sun, the mirror of my mother's face, three decades reaching, coming into voice.  5. A number representing the madness, bullshit, rise, fall, trauma, and triumph that our people have gone through and still we are here doing this.  6. After 30 years, Viet Nam still resonates.  7. A magical number signifying a reunion, a nation's self-determination, a community in creation, and a love that lives on through us.  8.  . . .

(re)COLLECT: Visions and Sounds
Saturday, January 15, 2005

Gallery/Lounge Time: 7:30 Live Music: 8:30-10:00 AfterParty: 10:30-1:30
sliding scale admission $7-20 (proceeds will benefit the Collective)

Oaklandish Gallery and Lounge
411 2nd St. (btw: Broadway & Franklin) near Jack London Square
BART accessible (12th St. Bart) Street Parking available


Featured Artists:
Tan Khanh Cao
Magnetic North
DJ MyLai
Kevin T. N. Nguyen
Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen
Linh Nguyen
Unity Nguyen
An Tran
Thuy Tran
DJ Roza
DJ VNA

Tan Khanh Cao Gia Dinh province 40 miles inland northwest of Saigon birthplace of my father�s father the red earth there is good for growing pine trees and coffee plants I am thankful for being permitted to exist grateful for the responsibility of having something to offer Open to the journey and its crossings and who and what I meet...and to be someone met on those paths. Willing to be care-full and present. I paint. www.cpcarts.org/tan

Tan Khanh "Listen"

Magnetic North Comprised of close friends that share an unhealthy lust for music, Magnetic North is a hip hop duo that strives to find the elusive balance between music rich instrumentals and insightful lyrics. Even though they formed in 2003, both Direct and Theresa Vu have been emceeing for over 6 years. A beat producer and lyricist, Direct (Derek Kan) was formerly a member of All Real, a group with a prolific history that consists of three self-engineered albums. Theresa Vu, though she has no prior albums, has spent half a decade honing her craft in cyphers and open mics. So, contrary to the common image of rappers, Magnetic North hopes to prove that geeky Asian kids from the 'burbs can rip mics too. For more information: www.magnetichiphop.com

Theresa "T" Vu of Magnetic North "Direct" Derek Kan of Magnetic North

DJ Mylai Veanne Cao, also known as DJ Mylai, learned how to spin records at a friends house while inebriated off two Coronas back in 1998. For the past six years, she has been actively involved in the San Francisco underground music scene, playing drum&bass and breakbeat at clubs, raves, renegades and radio stations all around the Bay Area. She took a brief hiatus from DJing this past year to pursue other endeavors, but has now returned to her first love: music. For more information, you can visit her website at www.mylai.com

DJ MyLai

Kevin T. N. Nguyen Born in 1978, Kevin T. N. Nguyen is the son of Tam Vo and Cong Nguyen. He lived in his home country of Vietnam for three years until the tragic war that caused many to flee the country. Along with many other Vietnamese refugees, Kevin and his family fled their mother country in search of a better life on a small boat that was later rescued by generous Taiwanese fishermen. After residing in Taiwan for fifteen months, Kevin and his family moved to the United States of America where he currently resides with his parents and two siblings, Alexandria, his older sister, and Jonathan, his younger brother. Since his early childhood, Kevin and his siblings were raised by a daycare in San Jose where they taught arts and crafts. Ever since those days in preschool, Kevin has had an appetite for the arts. He started his college career at the local community colleges studying architecture but later found that his heart was not in that field of choice. He later studied at The Academy of Arts in San Francisco where he was initially introduced to the study of illustration and fine arts. After a year�s stint at the Academy of Arts, he felt that San Jose State University would better suit his needs. He is currently finishing up his final semester at San Jose State University where he is studying to get a BFA in fine arts. www.nguart.com

Kevin Nguyen "Deformation"

Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen
Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen is currently an MFA student in Creative Writing at Mills College where she has been
awarded the Mary Merrit Henry Prize in Poetry and the Ardella Mills Literary Composition Prize in
Creative Non-Fiction. Her poetry has been published in the "Asian Pacific American Journal" and
"The Walrus". Anh-Hoa is also a book artist, printmaker, photographer and performer. Anh-Hoa's artists
books and photography have recently been displayed at the Asian Resource Gallery in Oakland in a show
called "Piecing Together:Emerging Vietnamese Women Artists." She is an active member of the Vietnamese
Artists Collective and lives and creates in Oakland, California.


Linh Nguyen
Linh Gia Nguyen was born in Quang Tri, Central Viet Nam. Linh grew up absorbing popular Vietnamese songs
sung at family gatherings and American rock music blasted on the radio. As a guitarist and singer, Linh
seeks to create compelling and beautiful music that reflects his broad background and experiences.
Linh Nguyen currently resides in Oakland, Ca. You can find out more by visiting "www.linhnguyen.us"

Unity Nguyen Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Unity Nguyen brings together many traditions from around the world. Her music uses various languages and instruments, including the dan tranh (16-string zither of Viet Nam); and the kora (21-string harp of West Africa). Visit the calendar to catch a performance. Unity performs solo, or with various forms of her Unity Nguyen Ensemble. She also collaborates with a number of hot world music and dance groups. Unity also shares her passion by teaching music-movement to diverse audiences. These classes range from several weekly programs for pre-schoolers, to drum workshops with youth at risk, to private lessons with adults. Besides performing and teaching music, Unity holds a Master�s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. www.unityhealinghands.com

Unity Nguyen

An Tran
An Tran is a self taught tattoo artist. See his work at www.gurutattoo.net


Thuy Tran
Thuy Tran is a mixed media artist who is in love with color and pretty things. She uses found objects to explore
and piece together the notion of identity. Her work simultaneously displays a playfulness and an irony that
speak to her experiences as a second generation Vietnamese-American woman.

DJ Roza
After spending many years as a fan of soul, old school, and underground hip-hop; as a spectator at garage
sessions; and as the "DJ lackey," Roza Do stepped up to the turntables in 2002 and fell in love with DJing ever
since. A newbie to the scene, she has been found spinning at poetry and hip-hop events on campus, at lil gigs
around the Bay as well as venues in LA. She is currently finishing up her studies in Public Health Policy and
Advocacy at UC Berkeley and working on saving her money to build up her record collection, buy a new mixer,
and travel.

DJ VNA
Born in the boogie down section of Visitation Valley, VNA found solace in music to deal with a childhood
addiction to Flintstone Vitamins. DJing for over 15 years, VNA now connects his music to social justice causes.
He was a featured DJ at last year's Save the Rain Forest Rave in Brazil and will headline next year's Save the
Redwoods Tour with Michael Franti, Ani Difranco, and Ludacris. VNA has received no awards related to DJing
but has received a lot of nice compliments. He does however have 2 cds out; one mix cd (Vietnam75 2001)
and one live recording (Soul Tripping at the Lucky Lounge 2003).

Hoa No / Bloom May 21, 2004 Galeria de la Raza, San Francisco, California Featuring emerging Vietnamese artists from the community About the Artists Thien Nguyen was born in Qui Nhon, Viet Nam, and misses his motherland very much, although there is no where else he'd rather be right now than the Bay Area. His weapons of mass creation are the camera and pen. Bob Marley and Buddha are his co-pilots. He loves dogs and believes in art and love for social change. Sylvia La is learning to move more and more to the rhythm of her heart, which has been leading her on an unpredictable path as a visual artist. Through her media of oil paint, canvas, paper, found objects, and other materials available in the world, she hopes to continue creating some art, playing, observing, growing, and being alive. Richard Lam is currently a senior at San Francisco State University. His work is driven by communication of his ideas through words and images. He is inspired by David Carson's designs, street art, and hip - hop. Anne Ngan Nguyen is a graduate of the graphic design program at California College of Arts. She likes boba tea and long walks on the beach. When she isn't slaving over assignments, she likes to make sculptures about being an Asian American woman. Her future plan is to make beautiful movies. Kathy Minh Bach is all about San Jose, street art, DIY, and the community. She obsesses over art shows, community events, and her calendar of Bay Area events that she updates DAILY just for you! Check it - www.localendear.com/public/koolkat. Also, she loves art collaborations so holler her way if you do too! [minhthybach@yahoo.com] Bruce Cheung student of abstract architecture, dances like a devilish imp, hails from Hong Kong but only knows his mother's shoulder as "home," vietnoize vietnoize, mad lomographer, and young filmmaker. Shout-outs to: Southeast Asian Student Coalition, the maggies, and this girl named Sara. Follow his mischief at http://booski.blogspot.com. Contact him if you wanna collaborate, he likes the smell of strangers. Andinh Ha, before entering kindergarten, wanted to change his name so the other kids wouldn't have any problems pronouncing it. While watching TV, Andinh noticed that one of the characters was called Andy. Andinh went by Andy throughout elementary school, jr. high and high school. It was only recently that Andy turned back into Andinh. Andy was stupid. Vu T. Thu Ha is an interdisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited at spaces such as SOMArts Gallery (San Francisco), Asia Pacific Cultural Center (Oakland), works gallery (San Jose) and Nguoi Viet Gallery (Orange County). Her first films, each night and Shut Up White Boy, have screened nationally and internationally. Claire Tran is a youth organizer at AYPAL (Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership). She gets her inspiration for writing from community organizing, from love, from struggle and from food. Danny Thanh Nguyen is a queer humorist, editor, and one-third of the literary-trash phenomenon, 'D.J. Berkley'. Currently working on his first collection of essays, he also teaches writing workshops for youth. Danny displays an optimism observed by sensitive patients who have taken triple the amount of prescription medication. Ky-Phong Tran translates as "strange wind." Fitting that an exiled child of the Vietnamese Diaspora be named after the Wind, one of the original earth elements that fears no borders. Conceived in Saigon, fled on April 28, 1975, via the Philippines and Hawaii and the Fort Chaffee refugee camp, born in Huntsville, Alabama on September 6, 1975. Grew up in North Long Beach and schooled in Los Angeles. Call the San Francisco Bay Area home now, but am always ready to run/bounce/travel; it's in the refugee blood. Currently working on a short story collection entitled 562 and a coming-of-age novel, napalm's children, that asks: What happens when you stab a land and it bleeds people? Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen is currently an MFA student in Creative Writing at Mills College where she has been awarded the Mary Merrit Henry Prize in Poetry and the Ardella Mills Literary Composition Prize in Creative Non-Fiction. Her poetry has been published in the "Asian Pacific American Journal" and "The Walrus." Anh-Hoa is also a book artist, printmaker, photographer and performer. She lives and creates in Oakland, California. Vanessa Phuong Cao (vpc) is currently an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University where she is exploring the creative process in an interdisciplinary, self-designed major. She is interested in learning more about writing, performing, producing, and directing for film and theater. As an aspiring artist, she hopes to create works that are a catalyst for social change. She is also interested in collaborating with other artists who share a similar vision (imagnietulips@aol.com) About the Collective The Vietnamese Artists Collective is a Bay Area Vietnamese American grassroots collective established to promote and support emerging artists in our community. For more information about the Collective, email vietartscollective@yahoo.com. May 21, 2004, 7:30pm Galeria de la Raza 2857 24th Street (@ Bryant) Admission: $7-15 More photo at http://www.poeticdream.com/gallery.php?gid=184 "D.J. Berkeley" Carolyn Tran Vanessa Phuong Cao Film screening segment of Hoa No/Bloom Guest Ky-Phong Tran reading Guests Tony Nguyen

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