“For a colonized people the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity” (Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth).

Trâm Anh Nguyễn’s solo show, Black Belts on Bach Ma Mountain (Đai Đen trên Núi Bạch Mã), lenses the Bạch Mã mountains that have long stood as a symbol of Vietnam’s rich biodiversity and the country’s historical significance. Once a French colonial retreat, the mountains later became a battleground during the wars for independence and against American colonial forces. The land still bears the scars of bombings and chemical defoliants, with both people and the environment suffering long-term effects. Yet, Bạch Mã remains a powerful symbol of restoration. In 2022, Nguyễn joined and documented 280 Karate-do students on a 3-day trek to the summit, led by Master Nguyễn Văn Dũng, marking his final journey with the group. The students not only tested their endurance but also deepened their connection to the earth, honoring the land’s legacy of resistance and renewal. Nguyễn’s documentation of the students’ journey highlights Bạch Mã’s legacy as both a memorial to those lost in Vietnam’s struggles and a reminder of the collective responsibility to nurture the planet.

“Joanna Macy writes that until we can grieve for our planet we cannot love it—grieving is a sign of spiritual health. But it is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again. Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift” (Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass).

Trâm Anh Nguyễn (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in filmmaking and photography based in Vietnam and Canada. Binding documentation & storytelling across mediums, his work aims to look with a softened gaze, revealing universal themes woven together of tenderness, longing, hope, gentleness, resilience, and memory. He wishes to continue in creating more projects that reflect on the intricate politics of gender & culture, and exploring his queer-trans identity in interconnection with his Vietnamese roots. His first solo exhibition Hoa (2022) was a multi-media installation of a short film and a poem honoring his bà nội (paternal grandmother) who was gradually losing her memory. He’s participated in various group exhibitions; one recently was Nhà (Home) in 2024 at Manzi Art Space in Hanoi, with his short film Thân Thể Rừng Thiêng (Landscape of Our Body), being a meditation on queerness, ecology, and ancestral healing in relation to the collective trauma of the Vietnamese diaspora. His short films have been in local and international film festivals and screenings such as TIFF Next Wave, Pleasure Dome, TATE x Otherness Archive, and InsideOut Film Festival.