Green - Red - Yellow  

Performance by Phụ Lục (Nguyễn Huy An, Ngô Thành Bắc, Vũ Đức Toàn)
2022
Huế, Vietnam Commissioned as part of Edge of the Citadel Project, curated by Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai. Later presented as a two-channel video in Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai’s solo exhibition No More, Not Yet, curated by Bill Nguyễn at Nguyen Art Foundation, 2023.


‘A dose of colorless, low molar mass gas injected in each
The balloons float, weights inconsistent, colors varied
First arc, a cluster of green balloons hover close to the ground
Second arc, in mid-air a swash of red
Another arc, the balloons sail further up to disappear
after one long count
... over and over, at irregular altitudes, layers of
Green – Red – Yellow.’

Like freeform haiku poems – concise verses that can conversely embody space, time and the senses – The Appendix’s performances often start with a prompt or brief that the members propose among themselves, with a focus on rhythm, composition and gesture. Typical of their succinct approach, with intentions that expand beyond what’s visually available, in the work Green – Red – Yellow, the artist group uses the upwards motion of balloons to break free from the (physical and contextual) confines of the citadel. A real location now becomes a blank canvas, on the surface of which certain materials, gestures, and moods gradually emerge in untroubled, monotonous loops that in turn create a completely empty space for contemplation. Here, in this tranquility, the audience can connect with the work, be in silent conversation with the artists, as though they have been invited to co-create.

[Written by Bill Nguyễn for Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai's solo exhibition No More, Not Yet]




Behind the scene



Last updated: 06/09/2025 — subject to continuous revision