We are pleased to announce the exhibition, Bảy nổi ba chìm – Seven up Three down, curated by our Global Fellow, Do Tuong Linh, opening on April 5th at Hessel Museum of Art.

Bảy nổi ba chìm – Seven up Three down pays homage to Hàm Nghi (1871–1944), an Annamese (modern-day Vietnamese) emperor who became the country’s first modern artist while in exile in Algeria. While studying painting under Marius Reynaud and sculpture under Auguste Rodin, Hàm Nghi also formed a friendship with the artist Paul Gauguin. His artistic contributions have long been overlooked in mainstream art history, only recently gaining recognition through the efforts of his fifth-generation descendant, art historian Amandine Dabat.

The exhibition weaves together the works of Lê Đình Chung (b. 1990, Lâm Đồng), Daphné Nan Le Sergent (b. 1975, Seoul), Prune Phi (b. 1991, Paris), Xavier Robles de Medina (b. 1990, Paramaribo), and Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần (b. 1987, East Germany), all of whom traverse and echo hidden histories to reinterpret, reimagine, and breathe life into both the present and the future.

The opening features a performance by exhibiting artist Prune Phi in collaboration with culinary artist Bếp Nhỏ (Petit Kitchen), merging art with the sensorial poetry of taste and memory.

Support for the exhibition is provided by the Vietnam Art Collection (VAC) under its LAUNCH program.

Artists: Lê Đình Chung, Daphné Nan Le Sergent, Prune Phi, Xavier Robles de Medina, Arlette Quỳnh-Anh Trần

Design @macadamiaoh

F&B @bepnho.nyc

Exhibition details:

Date: April 5 – May 25, 2025

Location: Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY