A Love Letter to Vietnam: Queer Vietnamese Film Nights

From 80s Saigon to modern-day California, A Love Letter to Vietnam is a series of films that showcases the plurality of queer Vietnamese lives across time and space. An opera singer falls for a ruthless debt collector. A community of Vietnamese-Americans organise for political change. In the bustle of the streets or in the limelight of the stage, queer possibilities take form even in the most restrictive circumstances.

https://queereast.org.uk/project/a-love-letter-to-vietnam-queer-vietnamese-film-nights/

Queer Vietnamese Americans Triple Bill by Quyên Nguyen-Le + Q&A
Thursday 5th December 2024, 6:30- 8:30pm
ESEA Community Centre, 12-14 Englefield Rd, London N1 4LS
This screening is followed by an online Q&A with the filmmaker Quyên Nguyen-Le, moderated by British-Vietnamese artist Will Pham.

Newham Festival of Stories: Recipes for Life

Saturday 16th November 2024, 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
Central Park Cafe, Bartle Ave, London E6 3AJ

In collaboration with Nancy Nhat Vu. 
https://www.newhamfestivalofstories.org/events/newham-recipes-for-life/

RCA MA Sculpture- Visiting Workshop Tutor

Tuesday 12th November 2024, 2pm-5pm
Royal College of Art, 1 Hester Road, London, SW11 4AY

Will Pham was invited to do a workshop for MA Sculpture students up to 15 students for the annual Festus programme during the theme of Nesting. https://www.festus.co.uk/ 

Deptford X Commission- Ngon Quá: Vietnamese Cooking Project

September 2024- July 2025
Deptford X, Lewisham Arthouse, 140 Lewisham Way, London SE14 6PD

A new Deptford X commission launching in 2025, Pham has been invited to engage with the Vietnamese community in Deptford working with local organisations, community groups and individuals.

Centre 151 Open Day (Ngày Hội Về Sức Khỏe)

Sunday 8th September 2024, 10am- 4pm
Centre 151, 151 Whiston Rd, London E2 8GU

A festival of food, workshops, performances, Qigong, arts & crafts, massages and more for all ages . Free entry. Dive into Vietnamese culture through delicious homemade food, watch performances and spend some downtime in the garden.

Full programme here: https://www.centre151.com/news/open-day/

You Belong Here

Saturday 17th August 2024, 6:30pm-8pm
Southbank Centre, Riverside Terrace, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX

You Belong Here explores why we all feel the very human need to belong in our communities and our spaces. Performance with the VLC Band.

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivals-series/you-belong-here
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/esea-unseen-happenstance?eventId=990589

Rooms Through Time: 1878-2049

Launch event: Wednesday 17th July 2024, 6pm- 9pm
Museum of the Home, 136 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8EA

Pham was invited by the Museum of the Home’s Community Authors, Julia Thanh, to donate a personal object and oral history story to be added to the Museums permanent collection. His ceramic piggy bank object was displayed within the Vietnamese room, along with other objects and stories given by the community. The launch event was accompanied by a performance by Sophia Luu and band.

An Inverted Journey of Counter Archiving

Tuesday 2nd July 2024- Saturday 27th July 2024
esea contemporary, 13 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1EU

Programme convened by Xiaowen Zhu.

Throughout July 2024, esea contemporary's Gallery will feature 'An Inverted Journey of Counter Archiving' as part of our Summer Programme 'From (Counter-) Archives to Activation.' This dynamic programme showcases a selection of 13 moving-image works by artists alongside related archival and visual materials. These selected works offer a critical examination – through an artistic lens and research – which seeks to destabilise entrenched power dynamics and foster a thought-provoking understanding and representation of memory and history. 'An Inverted Journey of Counter Archiving' invites viewers to delve into narratives that diverge from traditional approaches to archiving, offering parallel, decolonising perspectives on historiography.

Gasworks’ 30th Anniversary

Thursday 16th May 2024, 7pm-10pm
Gasworks, 155 Vauxhall Street, London, SE11 5RH

The evening is an opportunity to honour our amazing community of artists and supporters, past and present, as we enter our fourth decade. Our current studio holders and residency artists will open their studios from 7pm. Speeches and dancing will follow from 8pm, with live music from Gasworks artists and family, including Emilia Álvarez, Eno Inwang, Laima Leyton, Lexy Morvaridi, and Tanat Teeradakorn. We will also be offering guests early access to new limited editions produced for our anniversary by alumni artists, Hew Locke, Sin Wai Kin and Francis Offman, raising funds for future programmes at Gasworks.

Archives on the Move- Artist Talk

Wednesday 15th May 2024, 2pm-3:30pm
Royal College of Art, Dyson Lecture, 1 Hester Road, London, SW11 4AY

Will Pham was invited to do an artist talk for MA Arts and Humanities students at the Royal College of Art, followed by an in-conversation with Senior Lecturer Dr Shehnaz Suterwalla, MAFA, followed by audience Q & A. Pham spoke about his strategies when working with archives and community groups and unpacked ideas around ‘belatedness’ and place-making.

LUX- New Work Series

Saturday 23rd March 2024, 2pm-4pm
LUX Moving Image, Waterlow Park Centre, Dartmouth Park Hill, London, N19 5JF

Pham presents new work, Legends, 2024, HD video, stereo sound, colour, 12 mins. This video explores irregular migration from Vietnam to the UK with the support of Dr Tamsin Barber’s research. It explores the ways in which migrants are encouraged to craft a ‘legend’, in order for them to pass hostile immigration borders to allow refuge in the UK. The video emphasises the use of performance and storytelling based on individual and collective trauma vs bureaucratic legislative language. The screening was followed by a conversation with Dr Diana Yeh and Dr Tamsin Barber. With thanks to Julia Thanh, Dr Tamsin Barber, Dr Diana Yeh, Keith, Huyen, Andy, the Elephant Trust Award.

Visiting Lecturer- Artist Tutorials

Thursday 7th March 2024, 10am-5pm
Goldsmiths University, 8 Lewisham Way, London SE14 6NW

Pham was invited by Dr Ilona Sagar, Lecturer at Goldsmiths University, as Visiting Lecturer (Studio Practice). He provided individual tutorials with students from BAFA Fine Art and History of Art, Goldsmiths University Years 2 and 3 in the lead up to their degree show.

Visiting Lecturer- Artist Crit

Tuesday 5th March 2024, 10:30am-4:30pm
Chelsea College of Art & Design, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU

Pham was invited by Dr Elizabeth Peebles, Year 3 Leader BA Fine Art, Chelsea College of Art & Design, as Visiting Lecturer to lead group crits. The group crit/discussions is to facilitate and offer an opportunity to discuss the work in a context that is supportive, critical and seen with fresh eyes. There were five other guests leading crit/discussions: Taey Iohe, Katarzyna Perlak, Rosa Tyhurst, Judith Dean and Mark Leckey. Each guest led their own session and with a group of students.

Visiting Lecturer- Proffessional Practice

Thursday 29th February 2024, 2pm- 3:30pm
Chelsea College of Art & Design, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU

Pham was invited by Amanprit Sandhu, Senior Lecturer & Interim Year 2 Leader, BA Fine Art, Chelsea College of Art & Design, as Visiting Lecturer to do a proffessional practice talk as part of ‘The World After’ series. The series invites artists to be honest about the highs and lows of making the work they do and to give students an insight into the World After leaving art school- how do they navigate this, what is your embedded way of working and collaborating, relationship to research and archives, and the pace of projects. The talk was then followed by Q&A from the students.

A Night of Performances: Body Tongue, Chúc mừng năm mới!

Friday 23rd February 2024, 6:30pm-9pm
Asymmetry Art Foundation, 102a Albion Dr, London E8 4LY

Programme curated by Nick Yu.

Performances with bones tan jones, Will Pham & VLC Band with invited friends, to inaugurate Asymmetry’s new public space. Participants: Koa Pham, Trâm Nguyen, VLC Band (Dan Tran, Doc Ngo, Thanh Long, Frankie, Hung, Hùng, Quang, Ngọc Nga, Quyen). A live performance of nostalgic songs by the VLC band from Centre 151, a Hackney-based community centre set up in 1985, formerly known as the Community Centre for Refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (VLC).

How To Sleep Faster Issue 14: Art and Mental Health in Crisis

Saturday 10th February 2024, 2pm-4pm
Arcadia Missa, 35 Duke St, London W1U 1LH

Book guest edited by Maggie Matić. 

With contributions from Tolu Elusadé, Adam Farah, Micha Frazer-Carroll, Penny Goring, Hattie Lucas, Djofray Makumbu, Will Pham, Giulia Smith, Elvis Universe, Catriona Whiteford. With readings by Penny Goring and Catriona Whiteford.

Buy copy: https://arcadiamissa.com/product/how-to-sleep-faster-14/

Late at Tate Britain- Lunar New Year

Friday 9th February 2024, 6pm-10pm
The Grand Saloon, Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG

Curated by Trâm Nguyen, June Lam and Tate Collective.

A night of performances, DJs, workshops, screenings celebrating ESEA artists and Lunar New Year at Tate Britain. Film screening of VMHS Legacy Project, followed by in-conversation with Jack Shieh OBE, Quynh Nguyen, Will Pham and Mai-Thi Nguyen to celebrate the achievements of the Vietnamese Mental Health Service and to share the process of making the project. With thanks to Dr Lili Ly, Dr Angela Byrne, Nancy Vu and Amie Tran. Photo by Eugenio Falcioni. 

We Need To Talk: Intergenerational Cinema of Asian Diaspora in Germany

Saturday 27th January 2024, 7pm-9pm
Cinema 1, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH

Programme curated by Sarnt Utamachote.

‘We Need To Talk’ is a phrase, an invitation to a moment of confrontation between two parties, at the same time ‘we’ could also mean a collective that wants to speak their voices. This short documentary film program conceptualizes auto-ethnographic process-oriented collaborations across generations for the ESEA diaspora in Germany. Being the archive of marginalized histories, these films rely on the intimate relationality between filmmakers and their elder kin (biological or not). Programme: Susheela Mahendran, Rosalia Namsai Engchuan, Marina Kem, Thùy-Hân Nguyễn-Chí. The screening was followed by a conversation between Susheela Mahendran, Marina Kem, moderated by Will Pham.

Reimagining Vietnamese Mental Health Workshop

Sunday 1st October 2023, 12pm- 4pm
VMHS, St Johns Estate, 25 Fair St, London SE1 2X and Downside Fisher Youth Club

An afternoon gathering at the Vietnamese Mental Health centre where participants can come and learn more about the organisation. The VMHS legacy film was screened followed by a conversation with Jack Shieh, Lili Ly, Angela Bryne, Will Pham and Mai-Thi Nguyen. The audiences were invited to take part in a series of open ended activities such as a viewing of Caro Gervays Light Conversations photo series, a recreation of ‘Recipes of Life’ workshop over hot pot and a quiet reading session and performance from ‘Duc Van Minh’, a book project made in collaboration with Beatrix Pang. Each aspect allowed participants to engage with a wide range of approaches offered by the VMHS and insights into the service users experiences.

Vietnamese Mental Health Services (VMHS) Legacy Project

Friday 15th September 2023, 3pm- 6pm
VMHS, St Johns Estate, 25 Fair St, London SE1 2XF

Commissioned by the VMHS to coincide with the closure of the organisation, this film explores the history and legacy of its work as mental health charity, set up in 1989 in the UK for Vietnamese communities. The film weaves together interviews with service users and director, Jack Shieh OBE, with singing by Koa Pham and translation by Mai-Thi Nguyen. The film was screened at VMHS 35th Anniversary and Farewell Party.

Archives on the Move: Embodied Archives and Sustainable Community Building Beyond Hostile Environments

Monday 6th March 2023 to Friday 17th March 2023 

Will Pham was invited as Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Art (RCA) to create and lead a unit for 2 groups of cross year RCA Masters Level students ranging from Sculpture, Contemporary Art Practice, Curating Contemporary Art, through online, in person and blended learning environments. Pham created a tour to gather and explore ways of re-energising and feeling through materials and spaces through physical encounters and site visits to the An Viet Bathhouse, Hackney Archives, Centre 151, Museum of the Home, Whitechapel Gallery and public sculpture by Veronica Ryan. With thanks to An Viet Archives, Etienne Joseph, Dora Lam, Jabez Lam, Pierre Palluet.

The London Open 2022

Thursday 30th June 2022- Sunday 4th September 2022
Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX

What makes London’s art scene so vibrant? What are the concerns of the next generation of artists and their insights in challenging times? This triennial exhibition showcases the most dynamic talent from across the capital. Discover new work reflecting on topics ranging from the personal to the collective, the cathartic to the poetic, the political to the environmental. Running since 1932, this much-celebrated open submission show features 46 London-based artists working across painting, sculpture, moving image, installation and performance.

https://thelondonopen.co.uk/

Nang Tu Do- The Archive of Art in the Camps (Garden Streams) and the history of Vietnamese Boat People in Hong Kong 1982-1999

Tuesday 20th October 2020- Saturday 17th April 2021
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Central Ave, Hong Kong

Co-organized by the Department of Fine Arts, Garden Streams and the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library, the exhibition Nàng Tự Do features the life of Vietnamese boat people in the detention camps in Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition aims to discuss the relationship between “refugees” and contemporary society by reviewing this unique piece of almost forgotten history. Curated by Hoyin Leung, a group exhibition with artists Vicky Do, Will Pham, Law Yuk Mui, Les Bird, generously funded by Hong Kong Arts and Culture Government Department.

DAM Projects present New Moving Image

Tuesday 29th October 2019, 7pm-9pm
Close-up Cinema, 97 Sclater St, London E1 6HR

Programmed by DAM Projects (Morgan Quaintance, Amanprit Sandhu).

New Moving Image is a quarterly series of screening programmes running between October 2019 and October 2020. Featuring new work by emerging artists, each hour-long programme will be followed by a panel discussion with participating filmmakers. Programme One features work by artists Simnikiwe Buhlungu, Seecum Cheung, Mathew Parkin, Will Pham, and Rhea Storr.

Little Vietnam

Friday 24th May 2019- Saturday 6th July 2019
Turf Projects, Whitgift Centre, 46-47 Trinity Court, Croydon CR0 1UQ

A solo exhibition featuring a super 8mm film portrait of Little Vietnam Restaurant and what remains unseen from customers eating at the restaurant, the family it sustains and the ongoing experience of resettlement in the UK. Original music by French musician An Tôn Thất, based in Taipei, Taiwan. With thanks to Natalie Tan in conversation, and Rosalie Bell and Natalie Bell on the opening night conversation.

https://turf-projects.com/little-vietnam-will-pham-in-conversation-with-natalie-tan/

Resettled Spaces

Friday 5th April 2019- Thursday 16th May 2019
Lien Viet Housing Association, Vivian Common Close, London, N4 2DR

Resettled Spaces: Examining the Home / Các Không Gian Tái Định Cư: Tìm Hiểu Khái Niệm Nhà - will explore how the definition of home has shifted within the Vietnamese experience in the UK. We will interrogate the cities, towns, or countries we have adopted or left, the intermediary spaces many migrants transit through, and the spaces to which we retire each evening.

https://www.isha.co.uk/lien-viet/our-history.html

Taipei Artist Village Residency Exhibition

Friday 7th December 2018- Sunday 30th December 2018
Taipei Artist Village, No. 7 Beiping E. Rd., Taipei, Taiwan

Since its foundation, Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Taipei aligns with international artist-in-residence sites, provides artists from both Taiwan and abroad with residence opportunities, and creates an open platform that also acts as a web of solid, international connections, drawing in diverse communities in various disciplines to exchange and broaden each other’s perspectives. Located in the city’s government office district, TAV is a four-story building renovated as part of ongoing efforts to reutilize vacant spaces. Its function is not merely to exhibit artworks, but to be a point of convergence for artists. Pham’s residency was funded by the Breathe Award, selected by CFCCA, Manchester.

Diaspora, Ma Homey

Friday 1st November 2018- Saturday 30th November 2018
Space_31, Berlin

Curated by TROI OI (Sung Tieu, Nhu Duong)

Group exhibition of contemporary artists, fashion designers, and musicians from diaspora communities originally from Southeast Asia considers the recent and ongoing movement of people within and away from the region after the Cold War, and its related aspects of migration, dislocation, resettlement and hybridity. With ASAI, Amy Lien & Enzo Camacho, CFGNY, Samuel Ibram, Mai-Thu Perret, Will Pham, Soda Plains, TROI OI.

https://www.friendsoffriends.com/fashion/berlin-nhu-duong/

Asia Art Activism Sharing Session

Friday 27th July 2018, 7pm- 9pm
Raven Row, 56 Artillery Ln, London E1 7LS

AAA will be hosting their first Researcher-in-Residence Sharing Session with Will Pham and Matthew Wang. Both artists are in residence at the Raven Row Art-Asia-Activism space from 9th July to 31st August 2018. The sharing sessions are a way for researchers to open up their working process to scrutiny and collective discussion. The screenings will be followed by the artists in conversation with Erika Tan.

Royal Academy Schools Show

Friday 8th June 2018- Sunday 1st July 2018
Royal Academy Schools, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD

An Viet* (Well Settled), 2018, HD video, stereo sound, colour, 19 mins 20 sec, is a film that explores the An Viet Foundation- a closed down community centre in Hackney serving former Vietnamese refugees for over 35 years. The film presents a range of found materials inside the building, and a reading from Toan Vu, from his father’s autobiography. The installation contained chairs and furniture borrowed from community centre into the gallery.

Record, Retrieve, Reactivate

Saturday 31st March 2018, 12pm-6pm
An Viet Foundation, 12-14 Englefield Road, London, N1 4LS

A series of actions to revitalise the An Viet Foundation, a former Vietnamese refugee community centre in Hackney, by inviting interventions to reactivate parts of the building using discussion, performance, documentation and curation. A display of objects, banners and photographs from the An Viet Foundations archive used as starting points with the materials reframed, enlarged and repositioned in the space to create a form of order and narrative.

Premiums: Interim Projects

Friday 27th January 2017- Sunday 5th February 2017
Royal Academy of Art, Weston Rooms, Norman Shaw Staircase and Architecture Space, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD

'Premiums: Interim Projects' features the work of artists at the midpoint of their studies at the RA Schools. This annual exhibition provides an opportunity to see up-to-the-minute work by emerging artists at a time when their practice is still developing. The RA Schools is a contemporary school of fine art at the heart of the Royal Academy of Art. Almost 250 years after its foundation, today it continues to be the only art school in Britain to offer a free, three-year postgraduate programme to promising artists.