“Installation artworks” by 20 Vietnamese women displayed at an exhibition called “Duong Vien” (Border) at the Vietnam National Library may make many people’s eyes sting because they are based on true stories of domestic violence.

Works displayed in the exhibition come from the life of these women.

The audience can unemotionally look at a thin blouse hung on a bamboo shoulder pole. But they can’t help being moved when they read the caption of that “artwork”, which is even misspelled: “I wore this blouse when I was beaten by my husband. The flap was wet with blood while I was seven months pregnant with my first child”.

“This blouse went to Hanoi with me to make money”. “I struggled a lot to buy this blouse because at that time I was very poor”. Or “You will see holes made by knives on my blouse”. Looking at these “artworks”, many visitors have to rub their eyes. These works are named “Mac Luoi” (Caught in a Net), “Ngan Can” (Thousand kilos).

In another work, one can see small boats stuck on paper. Each boat contains confidences of Nguyen Thi Ly. Her legs were beaten till they were broken by her adopted parents and she was cast from her home in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province in 1975. She came to Hanoi and has been living on a boat till now.

Nguyen Thi Ly and her work.

More than 30 years living in a small boat, Ly has had to face many things, such as drug addiction, boat sinking, starvation and others. Actually, narcotics got to her first son, who is now in a rehabilitation centre in Ba Vi, Hanoi. Her second child drowned last year. Ly is trying to survive to welcome their first son back from the rehabilitation centre.

Artworks are also basins hanging from shoulder poles to carry water, which were used as a murder weapon by a husband; there is also a small medicated oil tin with the note: “I used this medicated oil tin whenever my husband hit me”.

Sue, art advisor of this exhibition, said: “Many ideas came from these women and I only helped them to link them together”.

The 1,000kg blouse, a work displayed at the exhibition.

In the exhibition, 20 women stood around their works and told the audience about their stories at deeper levels, about their deep sadness behind the awkward installation works. But that true awkwardness touched the soul of the audience.

There have been many community-based art projects focusing on people immigrating to the city, street children and the disabled. These projects aim to raise the awareness of people directly involved in these programmes and from this influence the community. The above exhibition has the same purpose, to help women protect themselves from family violence.

“Coming here I met with other women and shared my difficulties and sadness with them. I know how to protect myself now, not resign myself to being beaten like before,” said Nguyen Thi Ly.

Tuan Hai