Nam Nguyen
OUT OF THE CAVE AND INTO THE GARDEN
(in honour of robot the dog)
July 27, 2019
“Plato, in his tale of ‘The Cave’, didn’t think much of artifice. He called us to leave the cave, walk into the harsh light of the world and face reality. I have often wondered: am I the deluded audience of light and shadow, or perhaps the maniacal puppeteer, delighting in exerting my illusions within this eternal simulation?”
-Nam Nguyen in conversation with Jessica Groome, summer 2019
La Datcha is pleased to present Out of the Cave and into the Garden (in honour of robot the dog), a collaborative exchange between Nam Nguyen and Jessica Groome. This exhibition recontextualizes works from Nam’s studio (the cave), into the garden (La Datcha). Through this action, the metaphor of the painter's studio juxtaposes an image of internal mythos and magic with that of the garden: an image of pastoral lightness, worldly connection and celebration.
In contrast to the phantasmic isolation of the cave, the garden is a place of connection and contentment. Our collaboration, in the spirit of Matisse, explores lightness and joy, yet, it is not pure idealism we are seeking, but rather, the cultivation of nourishment: of planting and weeding, raking and pruning. Out from the cave, we will surely be blinded by the bright rays of the sun, and once we adjust our eyes, we will proceed to the garden, where we will roll up our sleeves, and get to work in the dirty-dirt of the earth.
