Lêna Bùi. Installation view at National Gallery. Photo by Preecha Pattaraumpornchai
The Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB) returns for its fourth edition, titled Nurture Gaia, bringing 76 leading international artists to Southeast Asia across 11 city-wide venues. Nurture Gaia draws its inspiration from the maternal figure of Mother Earth, symbolising her historical expressions as a nurturer and giver of life across cultures.
Lêna Bùi's video work Precious. Rare. For Sale. explores the representations and exploitations of nature as depicted in Vietnamese moving images mainly from the 1990s. By juxtaposing diverse scenes—mythical beasts, wartime narratives, social realist tragedies, and even a French portrayal of the Vietnamese “primitive” jungle—Lêna illustrates how these images are shaped by shifting socio-political contexts.
In contrast to the striking footage, Lêna’s delicate ink and watercolor paintings on silk portray landscapes and natural elements, such as the sun, wind, air, water, and earth. The works also feature a scene from Tra Vinh in the Mekong Delta, drawing attention to the recent climate difficulties in the region, including droughts and the human-caused destruction of the ecosystem.
