Graffiti writers in Vietnam

Dropped by the gallery at REDCAT this afternoon, where I usually find something interesting. The current exhibit, "Eternal Flame: Imagining a Future at the End of the World," features artists working on Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Los Angeles, and New York. A stand-out is Tuan Andrew Nguyen, who presents straightfoward oil paintings depicting streetscapes in the modern Vietnam, each employing a message of propoganda, advertising, and graffiti. Graffiti, it turns out, is a very new cultural phenomenon in Vietnam. In the rear of the REDCAT space, Nguyen shows a documentary with interviews with his country's new graffiti writers. It makes for highly compelling footage. One young female writer, 15-year-old Meo Meo, says she only does sketches for her crew because she is not strong enough handle spraypaint tips. "It is like a career where there is no salary," observes another writer.