Major new exhibition showcases influential Vietnamese artist

A new survey exhibition of one of Vietnam’s most influential contemporary artists Trần Lương opens at NPDC’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre on 1 November.

Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain explores the life and work of Trần Lương over the last three decades and is the artist’s first exhibition to be presented Aotearoa New Zealand.

Working in painting, performance, installation, community engagement and institution-building, the artist has navigated limits on artistic expression and critique to build spaces for the exchange of ideas, and foster support among generations of artists in Vietnam. 

Born in Hanoi in 1960, Trần Lương’s early experiences were informed by the American-led bombing of North Vietnam (1965–1972). The artist began exhibiting in the 1980s, among the ground-breaking Gang of Five, often in friends’ apartments or semi-underground spaces.

Trần’s practice have been shaped by the profound economic, political and social transformations he has experienced. In the 1990s, Trần moved towards conceptual and performance art and in 1998 he co-founded Nhà Sàn Studio, the country’s first artist-run space for experimental art.

In recent years, he has worked collaboratively with Xơ Đăng and Bru-Vân Kiều communities in central Vietnam to regenerate architectural knowledge at risk of being lost and help build climate-resilient homes in areas at increased risk of flooding.

Curated by internationally respected curator Biljana Ciric the exhibition brings together works that reflect the artist’s multifaceted roles as activist, curator, facilitator, archivist, mentor—highlighting the complex role the artist plays in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

“We’re honoured to present Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain, a landmark exhibition that brings Trần Lương’s powerful and deeply collaborative practice to Aotearoa for the first time,” says Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Director Dr Zara Stanhope.

“His work speaks to the resilience of artists working under constraint and the transformative potential of art in shaping communities. This exhibition continues our commitment to showcasing bold, socially engaged contemporary art.”

As part of the exhibition’s opening weekend, the artist will present an interactive performance, which will take place in Pukekura Park on Saturday 1 November, 12 pm–4 pm and at Ngāmotu Beach between 10am and 2pm on 2 November. 

Audiences will be invited to lead the artist—who will be blindfolded—on a path of their choosing.

Seeking to get to know and learn from the communities he exhibits in, the artist states, “each time I return to a place, at best I manage to “see” just a small hidden corner of life… this time, it is about voluntarily giving myself to strangers along the way, as a form of research, exchange, and trust”.

Opening weekend programme:

• Curator’s tour with Biljana Ciric
  • 1 November, 11am-12pm, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
• Offsite Performance: Trần Lương, “A Consignment Journey” / Flowing
  • Saturday 1 November 12-4pm, Pukekura Park
  • Sunday 2 November 10am-12pm, Ngāmotu Beach  
• Wet Worlds with Trần Lương: Whānau Special
  • 1 and 2 November, 10.30am -12.30pm, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

All events are free.

The exhibition has been co-organised by Art Jameel (Dubai), and The Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth) and the Govett-Brewster is the exhibition’s exclusive New Zealand venue.

Tầm Tã – Soaked in the Long Rain is on until 8 February 2026.  Find out more at govettbrewster.com

Fast Facts

• Founded in 1970, the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery presents a regularly changing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, events and conversations including leading New Zealand and international artists and thinkers.
• With a dedicated purpose to champion contemporary art and artists from Aotearoa, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa and the Pacific Rim, the Gallery seeks to fire the imagination and opening minds to create an expanded sense of what is possible
• It also runs an art and design store, independent cinema, and publishes a range of art books.
• Every $1 in rates funding that is spent on Gallery operations generates $2.73 in GDP for the wider Taranaki region
• The Gallery welcomed around 79,000 visitors in the 2024–25 financial years, about 22% of whom came from outside the Taranaki region.

Image Caption:
Trần Lương, Lập Lòe, 2012, three-channel video, sound. Installation view in Trần Lương, Tầm Tã – Soaked in the long rain, Jameel Art Centre, Dubai, 2024. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Daniella Baptista.