First contemporary art exhibition by New Zealand artists takes place in Hanoi

This is one of a series of activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and New Zealand in 2025. It is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with the artists’ residency sponsored by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

A compelling exhibition of contemporary installation and media works by three artists from Aotearoa New Zealand — Christopher Ulutupu, Georgina May Young and Sorawit Songsataya — is now on display at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum in Hà Nội.

“This exhibition is especially meaningful as we mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Việt Nam in 2025; a milestone we celebrate under the theme of Connecting Stars, Bridging Nations which speaks to the power of connection across cultures, across time, and across the creative realms,” said New Zealand's Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Sorawit Songsataya presents Listening Devices (I – X), a series of rattan sculptures inviting an active listening to the rhythmic contours of the earth—a tactile sonic experience that dissolves the boundaries between biology, geography, and ecology.

Chris Ulutupu’s New Kid in Town comprises a set of vignettes from a larger series that explores moments of first encounters between two cultures.

Georgina May Young’s hand-embroidered textile series evokes a slow and meticulous practice, contemplating the potent potential and ancient knowledge held in the earth.

This exhibition was collectively curated by Melanie Tangaere Baldwin, Dilohana Lekamge, Milly Mitchell-Anyon, Simon Palenski, and Amy Weng as part of an ongoing art residency project to extend connections between artists and curators in Aotearoa New Zealand and Viet Nam and as a follow-up of the visit by a group of New Zealand curators to Viet Nam to engage and connect with the art communities in Hanoi, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City in 2024.

“That Tomorrow Will Be is a promise to connect again. Sorawit Songsataya, Christopher Ulutupu and Georgina May Young have been brought together to explore resonances between Aotearoa New Zealand and Vietnam, through speculative modes of storytelling that reveal multilayered relationships with the land. The exhibition acts as an introduction to their work, with the hope of forming long lasting bonds", said the organizers.

Art enthusiasts are invited to join a discussion with the participating artists and curators at 3pm on August 16 to learn more about the creative process, concepts and messages behind the artworks. That Tomorrow Will Be will be on display until 23 August.