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Art Jameel Publishing partners with Mousse to present a series of essays drawn from the organisation's expanding publishing programme. Spanning art, architecture, ecology and critical theory, the selection brings together voices from artists, curators, writers and thinkers, extending conversations into new contexts and readerships.
Read below the conversation between Trần Lương and Biljana Ciric, originally published in Trần Lương: Soaked in the Long Rain, the first comprehensive publication exploring the practice of Trần Lương, a key figure in Vietnamese contemporary art. The volume is co-published with Art Jameel, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.
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About Art Jameel Publishing
Part of the organisation’s mandate, the publishing arm at Art Jameel increases access to under-documented cultural histories and artistic practices. Publications encompass print and digital formats, including artist books, monographs, exhibition catalogues and expanded editorial outputs across online, audio and video platforms.
Art Jameel Publishing has produced nearly 50 publications, spanning learning resources, exhibition catalogues, monographs and artist’s books, developed both independently and in collaboration with a wide network of partners globally.
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Hướng Dẫn – On Facilitating
Trần Lương in conversation with Biljana Ciric
One evening, as we were wrapping up our working day in APD Center, a group of three youngsters—two men and one woman— walked in holding a nicely wrapped flowerpot. They handed it to Tràn Lương and he hugged them warmly, visibly touched. I initially thought it must have been Lương's birthday, but it turned out to be Vietnamese Teachers Day (November 20th), and these young people were artists participating in the workshop that he facilitates!
Trần Lương, in discussing his practice, dislikes and avoids using the term “education” In Vietnamese, education implies an understanding of learning through guidance. He prefers to lescribe his work using the Vietnamese term “Hướng Dẫn,” which translates to “facilitating” rather than “educating.”
In Lương’s own words:
“In its literal sense, facilitating involves assisting a person or an idea to go in the direction that they want or have planned. Those who seek facilitation may lack clear practice methods, structure, information or the skills necessary to develop their goals. Facilitating entails providing support to individuals or ideas based on their existing foundation, without imposing the facilitator's own ideas or knowledge. Therefore, ‘facilitating’[1] does not impose exams, grade assignments, or rank students as in education. Nor does it prescribe a specific amount of time for facilitation; rather, the duration depends on changes in awareness, practice outcomes and life events affecting the person being facilitated.”[2]
This facilitating process is impossible to archive. Instead, we tried to foster storytelling practices through text and image, encouraging contemplation of facilitating processes as embodied and ongoing.
—Biljana Ciric
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BILJANA CIRIC
When we talked about education, you expressed your dislike for the word “education.” So, what terminology do you prefer to descrive this kind of activity?
TRẦN LƯƠNG
In the Vietnamese context we are influenced by Chinese culture as we also belonged to China for a while. So, we use the term “Giáo Dục,” which translates to education in English. “Giáo Dục” means leading young people and implies a level of control. “Giáo” is also used, for example, in reference to treating prisoners, signifying a person who exercises control. “Dục” conveys a desire and hope to learn. I’m against it because “Giáo Dục” is consistent with the dictatorship’s policy of making people ignorant and is the root cause of low educational levels in Vietnam. This term is very much a concrete outcome of conservative social structures.
BILJANA
What term do you use in Vietnamese?
TRẦN
I use “Hướng Dẫn,” which means facilitating. Hướng Dẫn implies merely pointing out possible different directions, allowing young people to choose for themselves. No matter what direction they choose along the way, you accompany them with your knowledge, your experience and your example, acting as a mirror and talking with them. You need to be there for open discussion. Whether they turn right or left, we try to discuss it together, before they turn either way. I share my experience with them, and my knowledge. Hướng dẫn is two words: “hướng” is the direction and “dẫn” suggests showing the way or holding their hands. So, I use the terms “facilitating” or “mentoring” much more than “teaching.”
CONTINUE READING
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[1] Biljana Ciric, unpublished curatorial notes, Hà Nội, 2023.
[2] Email correspondence between Trần Lương and Biljana Ciric, April 2024.
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