Watercolor and gold paint on handmade paper.

Description

Poong, who descends from two of Vietnam’s fifty-two ethnic minorities, the H’Mong and the Dai, remembers the khen, a musical instrument of the H’Mong minority in North Vietnam made of bamboo connected to a hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, producing soothing sounds. On traditional handmade paper, Poong illustrates two men and a boy of H’Mong heritage listening to another boy playing the now rare instrument. The khen and its music pass through the head of a fifth-spirit figure, evoking remembrance. 

Description from "Vietnam in Transition, 1976–Present" Exhibition Catalog, 2023, p.23.