In this series of five oil paintings called “The Pull of Tradition,” I use familiar Vietnamese cultural symbols such as motifs from folk Dong Ho woodcut prints, a clown paper mask from water puppetry, a typical picture frame that holds the picture for the deceased in ancestor worship. Ceremonial animals such as chicken, fish and pigs are also present. These symbols interact with each other across canvases to create a narrative that is critical of the strict assignment to gender roles in the Vietnamese tradition.

My use of saturated colors and the gestural handling of the paint suggest that each painting’s purpose is to communicate an abstract concept, as opposed to a focus on the rendering the physical objects. Each painting is a statement contributing to the central thesis, aiming to question the accepted and normalized patriarchy. Through these paintings, I hope to draw the viewer’s attention to the problem of gender inequality in Vietnam and how tightly held traditions are mainly responsible for it.