Photo by Selina McKane

Trường Ca Mươi Ngàn Năm, is an exhibition by ceramic artist Christian Dinh that celebrates the flourishing Vietnamese-American community. The overarching theme for this body of work is the act of remembrance, whether it is the remembrance of objects, places, practices, traditions, and people, that mark a point in time of Vietnamese-American culture. When turning to the limited documentation of Vietnamese-American culture, you will find that most narratives center around the Vietnam War from an American perspective. Though the Vietnam War is a significant marker in history, the trajectory of the Vietnamese refugees and immigrants is not limited to this focus. Having had the privilege of being raised in Vietnamese American culture, Dinh finds the importance of telling this narrative that is seldom told.

With this body of work, Dinh aims to contribute to a working archive of what defines the Vietnamese-American aesthetic. By archiving the history of the Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in the visual form, this work complicates how the narrative of the Vietnamese refugees has been portrayed in American culture, such as in films, television, pop culture, and music. Trường Ca Mươi Ngàn Năm is an exhibition that focuses on the positive narrative of the Vietnamese-American community and is meant to be a moment of celebration. Dinh’s desire is to give the deserved recognition to this community and to show that their struggles, perseverance, and success have not gone unnoticed. Trường Ca Mươi Ngàn Năm, translates to “A Song of 10,000 Years.” In Vietnamese culture, 10,000 years, or myriad years, is used to wish long life, good health, and happiness.

This exhibition is in honor of the Vietnamese refugees and immigrants who have come before.

Photo by Molly Shea

Biography

Born in 1992, Christian Dinh is a Vietnamese-American ceramic artist from St. Petersburg, Florida. He received his B.A. in 2016 from the University of West Florida in Pensacola. While studying at UWF, Dinh was nominated for the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.

Relocating to New Orleans in 2018, Dinh received his M.F.A. at Tulane University. During his time at Tulane, Dinh’s work has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Ceramic Monthly, The Times-Picayune, and Adore Magazine Dinh’s ceramic and sculptural work Christian Dinh has been in numerous exhibitions, including PHILIC / PHOBIC at the Pensacola Museum of Art, Focus Spotlight: Nail Salon at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana, Knowing Who We Are: The Contemporary Dialogue at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Legacy Traces: Recent Additions to the Museum Collection at the Newcomb Art Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, Blue Norther Exhibition at the Silos at Sawyer Yards in Houston, Texas, GBA House Party Vol. 1 at 3.1 Phillip Lim in New York, NY, and Here’s What I Was Thinking at Sibyl Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 2023, Dinh was a recipient of the Take Notice Fund from the National Performance Network, a grant awarded to BIPOC artists living and working in Louisiana. In the Fall of 2024, Dinh will be a featured artist in the New Orleans triennial, Prospect.6: the future is present, the harbinger is home.