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An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers offers the most comprehensive examination of An-My Lê's artistic journey over three decades, featuring her photographs, embroideries, videos, and installations. Born in Vietnam and arriving in the US as a political refugee, Lê's work spans themes of global conflict, diaspora, and the politics and portrayal of war. The title references the Mekong and Mississippi Rivers, symbolic locations appearing throughout her oeuvre. Accompanying essays explore her entire practice and individual series, with poetic contributions enhancing insight into her unique perspective.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in contemporary art, photography, and global conflict, as well as those drawn to thought-provoking explorations of diaspora and cultural history.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers is the most comprehensive account of the artist's career to date, encompassing three decades of her work across photographs, embroideries, videos, and installations.

Through her photographs, videos, installations, and embroidered works, An-My Lê considers cycles of global history and conflict, and the consequences of diaspora, politics, and the sensationalizing of warfare. Born in Vietnam in 1960, Lê came to the United States in 1975 as a political refugee, after the fall of Saigon.

Published to accompany the artist's first New York museum survey, An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers is the first catalogue to present Lê's three-decade practice in different mediums, with the artist's seven photographic series alongside textiles, installations, and rediscovered films. The two rivers in the title refer to the Mekong River in Vietnam and the Mississippi River in the southern United States, two important geographic locations that appear in the artist's photography from the earliest to the most recent works.

An essay by the curator Roxana Marcoci examines the full sweep of Lê's creative practice; four essays by the scholars La Frances Hui, Joan Kee, Thy Phu, and Caitlin Ryan each focus on specific series; and two texts by the writers Monique Truong and Ocean Vuong bring poetic sensibility to Lê's singular perspective.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise Lê's work for its anti-imperial stance and nuanced portrayal of militarised America and Vietnam. The New York Review of Books highlights her use of the 'imperial eye' to create an anti-imperial aesthetic, while the British Journal of Photography acknowledges her focus on the perceptions of Vietnam today. Reviewers commend her ability to uncover hidden histories, confront geopolitical complexities, and evoke spiritual continuity through her photography. The New Yorker notes her work as an act of repair, and The Art Newspaper admires her refusal to simplify complex narratives.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781633451520

Publisher: Museum of Modern Art

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 26 October 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Museum of Modern Art

Illustration: 300 Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Edited by Roxana Marcoci
  • Contributions by La Frances Hui
  • Contributions by Joan Kee
  • Contributions by Thy Phu
  • Contributions by Caitlin Ryan
  • Contributions by Monique Truong
  • Commentaries by Ocean Vuong

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 240.0mm

Height: 305.0mm

Weight: 1360g

Pages: 184

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

About the Author

Roxana Marcoci is Senior Curator in the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Joan Kee is a professor in the History of Art at the University of Michigan.

La Frances Hui is Associate Curator in the Department of Film at MoMA.

Thy Phu is a Distinguished Professor of Race, Diaspora and Visual Studies in the Department of Arts, Culture, and Media at the University of Toronto, Scarborough.

Caitlin Ryan is Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Photography at MoMA.

Monique Truong is a Vietnamese American author. Her books include The Book of Salt (Houghton Mifflin, 2003), Bitter in the Mouth (Random House, 2010), and The Sweetest Fruits (Viking Books, 2019).

Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese American author. His books include the poetry collection, Time is a Mother (Penguin Press, 2022), and the novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Penguin Press, 2019).

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