Human Resources, Los Angeles, 2018

A Motorbike Sunbathes on a Patch of Plastic Turf is a series of videos, installations and sculptures by Berlin-based Tra My Nguyen. Drawing upon family and the artists’ Vietnamese background, the works focus upon identifying connections, disconnections and nostalgia surrounding commodities within the tangling nexus of hyper-consumption.

Tra My Nguyen’s work examines motorbike culture in Vietnam, examining it from both a Western and local standpoint. Stemming from childhood memories riding in Vietnam, to her mother selling her motorbike to move to Germany, the motorbike becomes symbolic of freedom to many locals. This is in contrast to Western tourist’s fascination and fetishisation, where the image of an overstocked Vietnamese Motorbike is perceived almost as novelty.

Text: Annie Mackinnon

’Untitled’, 2018, motorbike, textile, video

‘Wheeling City and River’, 2018, video (3:34 min); ‘Unititled’, 2019, video (50:15 min); ‘Untitled’, 2018, digitale prints, plane