HÀ NỘI — Artist Nguyễn Phương Linh’s multimedia installation, Chuyến Đi Cuối Cùng (The Last Ride), will open in Hà Nội on Saturday.

The installation includes sculptures and videos on Vietnamese history during the French colonial period and its impact on the present-day Central Highlands, a topic that Linh researched for a year.

Using the elephant - a symbol of power and the holy spirit among the ethnic community in the region - as a point of departure, Linh explores the taming and exploitation of the animal, as well as the people, their culture and land, through time.

The installation will close the Skylines with Flying People 3 art project, which aims to increase awareness about contemporary Việt Nam and promote dialogue and collaboration among different fields and communities.

The interdisciplinary art project set out to portray the landscape of contemporary Việt Nam through the lens of local artists who were born and have grown up in the period of đổi mới (renewal).

Following on the success of Skylines 1 in 2010 in London and Skylines 2 in 2012 in Hà Nội, Skylines 3 was initiated in 2014 and has 14 artists and six curators, numerous scholars and various museums, institutes and education organisations collaborating.

The project has 11 sub-subjects that deal with Việt Nam’s complicated history, fragmented culture and issues related to migration, exploitation of nature, urbanisation and gender.

Skylines 3 was inaugurated by Nhà Sàn Collective, a non-profit artist-run art space in Hà Nội that promotes contemporary and experimental creative practices. The co-founder and co-director of the collective, Linh is an emerging talent among Việt Nam’s contemporary artists.

Born in 1985, Linh is a Hà Nội-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans videos, sculptures and installations.

Her choice of materials, such as salt, dust, rubber fragments, and research interests deal with the transformation of geopolitical landscapes, human manipulation of nature, and alternative historical perspectives of modern Việt Nam.

This is a breakout year for Linh, whose latest work was showcased at the Kuandu Biennale, Singapore Biennale and Shanghai Biennale.

The Last Ride can be viewed until January 21 at Hà Nội Goethe Institute, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, from 9am to 7pm every day. Guided tours in Vietnamese and English are available at 2.30pm on Saturday, January 14 and 21. — VNS