Cadastre at the Hanoi Bui Gallery


Cadastre on view at the Hanoi Bui Gallery on 23 Ngo Van So from April 7-June 6, 2009.
Comprising of 75 (20 x 20 cm) tiles, Cadastre is a floor sculpture that employs natural lacquer (son ta) and iron to faithfully represent mass-produced ceramic floor tiles used in building construction. Measuring exactly 3m2 in floor space, Cadastre visually graphs the housing space per capita allotted for one individual in a densely populated Asian city.

Inspired by the artist Carl Andre’s idea of emplacement and sculptural relativity, I reject the puritanism of the minimalist style by introducing a narrative element to portray the time worn patterns all too familiar in old Hanoi buildings.

Dramatic lighting, the golden properties of lacquer and the density of iron give the cadastre a transcendental weight.






Some reviews and articles about the show...
from the Hanoi Grapevine...
"...Phi Phi Oanh’s post modern floor tile lacquer work was the best work on show and I certainly hope that she is given a whole gallery re-exhibition of those boxes we saw in the Art Museum a couple of years ago….and of course any new work she has. I can’t help but compare her with Yoko Ono and I think she could be even better..."


from Bao Tien Phong Online