Proposals for a Translation

Name/Title

Proposals for a Translation

Entry/Object ID

2017.13

Description

Set of carved wooden stamps with Vietnamese and English lettering in a custom typeface for custom printed newspaper

Artwork Details

Medium

Wood stamp set with custom typeface newspaper

Acquisition

Notes

Collection of DePaul Art Museum, Art Acquisition Endowment

Made/Created

Artist

Ngo, Hu'ong

Date made

2017

Ethnography

Notes

American American, b. Hong Kong

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Class

MIXED MEDIA

Dimensions

Dimension Notes

Variable

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

The class-based struggle of the Communist movement overshadowed the Vietnamese women’s rights movement of the early 20th century, leaving an incomplete framework and awkward translation of the term feminism. Ngô reached out to a group of artists and activists who identify as Vietnamese or part of the Vietnamese diaspora for possible translations for the term feminism into Vietnamese. Using their replies, she created this set of stamps, carved with the proposed translations. The stamps were used to create the accompanying publication, printed with narratives and explanations from the participants about their particular translation of feminism. This solicitation for a translation acts not only as a proposal for a literal translation, but also a proposal for the very process of translation itself.