{"id":7365,"date":"2026-05-22T19:12:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/?p=7365"},"modified":"2026-05-22T19:12:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:12:46","slug":"a-song-press-play-and-perceive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/a-song-press-play-and-perceive\/","title":{"rendered":"A S\u00f4ng: Press \u201cplay\u201d and perceive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"uppercase\" style=\"text-align: center\"><b>At the river\u2019s source<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Xuan Ha founded <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/asongclub\/\">A S\u00f4ng<\/a><\/span>\u00b9 immediately upon returning to Danang as a legitimate reason to continue reflecting on and maintaining her artistic practice. A S\u00f4ng\u2019s artistic practice, therefore, is intimately intertwined with that of its founder \u2013 a dedicated community-based approach. A S\u00f4ng exists and evolves like a watercourse: at times a gentle trickle, at others a torrential surge. In its name, the \u201cA\u201d expresses both an exclamation of joy upon a new discovery and the English indefinite article \u201ca\u201d; while \u201cS\u00f4ng\u201d (River) represents a flow that is fluid, pervasive, without a fixed location. Thus, A S\u00f4ng is a collective without rigid boundaries, operating instead by the flexible interconnectedness of its relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7366\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7366\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7366 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-1024x666.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-768x499.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-1536x999.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-2048x1332.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/02-1-1200x780.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7366\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of A S\u00f4ng Collective, from left: Mai Huyen Chi, Pham Ba Linh, Xuan Ha, Le Ngoc Duy, Nguyen Hoang Anh. Photo: A S\u00f4ng.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The collective\u2019s activities can be categorised into two primary phases. During the initial stage (2019\u20132022), guided by the ethos of \u201cto be-to play-to perceive\u201d and a non-curatorial philosophy, A S\u00f4ng functioned as an art club where participants could participate in cultural and recreational activities centred on art, with the primary audience being students and young people interested in the arts. At this point, the collective focused on the praxis of living with art: experiencing, encountering, and participating in gatherings of local practitioners, while simultaneously unlearning preconceived notions regarding the boundaries between art and everyday life. With an open and largely spontaneous range of programming \u2013 beginning from studio visits and hip-hop sessions to field trips and artist residencies \u2013 A S\u00f4ng chose to permeate the rhythm of art organically, allowing the community itself to lead and shape the club\u2019s activities.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7374\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7374\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7374 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-2048x1365.webp 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/46-1-1200x800.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1707;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7374\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workshop with artist Duong Thanh Quang, part of the &#8220;Sharing a Meal&#8221; (CAC) program initiated and organised by Nguyen Hoang Anh in 2022. Photo: A S\u00f4ng.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Projects such as \u201cIs that so? (Rua hi)\u201d and \u201cEchoing resonance (Vang am dieu)\u201d embraced hip-hop, street culture, musical exchanges and community interactions, reflecting the free and genuine spirit of local artists who embody a unique poetic and melodic essence of Central Vietnam. Besides, the project \u201cA Song Thu Bon\u201d, initiated by Pham Giang and Tan Ngoc and co-organised with A S\u00f4ng, offered a distinct formal experimentation. The project took the form of a week-long voyage along the Thu Bon River, bringing together more than twenty artists from various places to create art communally on the water.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7369\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7369\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7369 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1001\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16.jpeg 1500w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-768x513.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-1200x801.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1500\/1001;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7369\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Song Thu Bon Project 2020 departed from Duy Xuyen, docked at Hon Kem Da Dung, and returned to the starting point. Each day, the group visited local villages along the river to engage with the community, camping and cooking on-site overnight. Photo: Trung Del.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By 2023, A S\u00f4ng had transitioned into its second and current phase by reconstituting itself as a proper collective of six members, a clearer programme direction, and a more structured curatorial approach. Its programming is now defined into two main branches: projects initiated and operated internally by A S\u00f4ng, and collaborative ventures with external units and organisations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8216;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The collective has adopted the keywords \u201cempowerment\u201d, \u201cattachment to the place\u201d, and \u201cfluidity\u201d \u2013 evoking a flow that easily adapts and evolves seamlessly over time. Most prominent is the annual <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cinema.cnn\/\">Cinema of Peasants<\/a><\/span> (CNN) screening and discussion programme, organised and curated by filmmakers Mai Huyen Chi and Le Ngoc Duy with the support of A S\u00f4ng. Spanning six seasons over three years, Cinema CNN has gradually established itself as a familiar independent film space in Danang, dedicated to uplifting Vietnamese filmmakers, particularly practitioners based in the Central region. Among its iterations, Season 3, \u201cDreamy mountains\u201d (2024), co-organised by A S\u00f4ng and To Dam, left the most resonance.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7370\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7370\" style=\"width: 1440px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7370 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/55.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/55.webp 1440w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/55-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/55-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/55-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/55-1200x675.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1440px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1440\/810;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7370\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cinema CNN#3: &#8220;Dreamy mountains&#8221;, held at Long Mu Kindergarten, Nam Tra My, Quang Nam, 2024. Photo: A S\u00f4ng.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In this edition, cinema has transcended its role as a distant cultural event to become an occasion to connect and share joy and affection. The programme was deeply rooted in the resource-scarce terrains of Nam Tra My (Quang Nam), where field research and school-painting projects intertwined with screenings of animated film and intimate dialogues between teachers, parents, and children at Long Mu and Mang Di kindergartens. This is just one example of the curatorial approach that A S\u00f4ng pursues: a departure from institutional physical spaces to extend its inquiry into the human and environmental complexities of the Quang Nam region.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7368\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7368\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7368 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-2048x1365.webp 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01-2-1200x800.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1707;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7368\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A S\u00f4ng members (Xuan Ha, Nguyen Hoang Anh, Duyen Le) with local residents of Khon Kaen during their residency at KULTX, Khon Kaen, Thailand, as part of Month of Arts Practice (MAP) 2024. Photo: Attitayaporn Saenpo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"uppercase\" style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Anchoring by the Community<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite nearly a decade of activity, A S\u00f4ng still lacks a fixed physical address. Social media has become a vital space for archiving information, sustaining the collective\u2019s identity and vitality, while situating it within the broader ecosystem of Vietnamese art. However, this reliance on \u201cvirtual space\u201d also poses significant challenges to sustainability: how can its operations be systematised in the absence of a stable funding source and a physical anchor?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Faced with this challenge, A S\u00f4ng\u2019s operational strategy flexibly extends its collaborative methods to independent practitioners, socio-cultural organisations, and public institutions. The group chose to enter into dialogue with the authorities and public institutions as a shareable resource. Paradoxically, with the lack of formal art infrastructure in Danang, the open-minded spirit here has facilitated easier cooperations. <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/danangartfair\/\">Danang Art Fair<\/a><\/span> (DAF), co-presented by A S\u00f4ng and Danang Museum, is a testament to leveraging institutional \u201cnodes\u201d to open up spaces for contemporary art. DAF was conceived to foster exchanges between artists, collectors, the public, and the local artistic community, laying a solid foundation for a symbiotic relationship that nurtures future large-scale art events in Central Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7373\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7373\" style=\"width: 1440px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7373 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/121.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"961\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/121.webp 1440w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/121-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/121-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/121-768x513.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/121-1200x801.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1440px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1440\/961;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7373\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Art tour, Danang Art Fair 2025, Da Nang Museum. Photo: Danang Art Fair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Besides support from international cultural bodies such as the British Council, the Goethe-Institut, and the Japan Foundation, self-fundraising remains a common practice for art spaces and collectives in Vietnam. At the 2024 <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/no.cai.bum\/\">No Cai Bum<\/a><\/span> Art Week, held simultaneously in Hoi An and Danang, in addition to enthusiastic support from private entities, the programme also utilised\u00a0 personal resources for community crowdfunding and artist self-contributions. This element further reinforces the ideal of an art ecosystem operated by artists and for artists, returning them to the centre of the artistic orbit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"uppercase\" style=\"text-align: center\"><b>A self-sustained flow<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Within the Central region, independent artist-run collectives and art spaces such as <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/saola_vietnam_oi\/\">Sao La<\/a><\/span> (Dalat), <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/morua.vn\/\">MORUA<\/a><\/span> (Hoi An \/ Nha Trang \/ HCMC), and <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/air.hue\/\">AirHue<\/a><\/span> (Hue) share with A S\u00f4ng the same challenges regarding resources. A defining factor in their endurance is the ability to forge unique identities based on programming directions refined to fit with local cultural currents.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7372\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7372\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7372 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-2048x1365.webp 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/102-1200x800.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1707;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7372\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Panel discussion part of &#8220;The Multifaceted Forest&#8221; community learning program, 2025. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Hai (Haiheo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To date, the existence, evolution, and succession of these collectives have nurtured many generations of young Vietnamese artists. Compared to Chaosdowntown Chao (HCMC), A S\u00f4ng emerges as a subsequent chapter in Xuan Ha\u2019s artistic journey. If Chaosdowntown Chao \u2013 Xuan Ha and Thien Thanh\u2019s (Nu) debut project in 2015 \u2013 represented an initial rebellion to establish a non-academic safe zone in the heart of the city, then A S\u00f4ng has fully inherited and transposed that spirit into the specific context of Central Vietnam. A living environment in close proximity to nature has inadvertently led A S\u00f4ng\u2019s interests towards site-specific practices in dialogues with the social, historical and communal contexts in the region,\u00a0 exemplified by the community learning programme \u201cThe multifaceted forest\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7367\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7367\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7367 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1710\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-1024x684.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-768x513.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-1536x1026.webp 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-2048x1368.webp 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81-1200x802.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1710;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7367\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Duo performance by Dang Thuy Anh and Bui Thi Ngoc Anh, part of the &#8220;Sweeping Leaves in the Yard (Quet La Tren San)\u201d performance event curated by Nguyen Hoang Anh, No Cai Bum 2024, Da Nang. Photo: Tong Khanh Ha.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the other hand, when positioned alongside collective practices in Hanoi, A S\u00f4ng distinguishes its stance through an ethos of care and a drive for self-learning. The intersection between A S\u00f4ng and a contemporary initiative such as <span style=\"color: #00aae7\"><a style=\"color: #00aae7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ba.bau.air\/\">ba-bau AIR<\/a><\/span> (founded in 2019 by Dinh Thao Linh) lies in the need to create self-reliant communities where \u201ceating together\u201d, studio visits, and supporting young artists become core practices. The act of cooking serves to cultivate intimacy and temporarily dismantle the hierarchical structures established and reinforced within the formal art system. The communal dining table opens up a safe and equal environment where barriers to the market value of artworks or individual authority are gradually blurred, giving way to direct and sincere connections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"uppercase\" style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Setting sail with a distinctive practice<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through fieldwork and local study trips, A S\u00f4ng has gradually formed a consistent anthropological practice: a leisurely approach to local art, venturing into areas lacking artistic awareness, and broadening the definition of artistic practice beyond \u201cwhite cube\u201d, academic institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A S\u00f4ng harbours no ambition of transforming Danang into a new artistic epicentre. The founder\u2019s decision to depart from bustling metropolises is an organic act of decentralisation. The collective\u2019s aspiration is more modest: they hope to see more artists and cultural practitioners returning to their hometowns to start their own initiatives, and to not feel like they are situated on the periphery of a perceived \u201ccentre\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7371\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7371\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7371 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-2048x1365.webp 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/77-1200x800.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1707;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7371\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opening night of No Cai Bum 2024, Da Nang, co-organised by A S\u00f4ng and MORUA. Photo: Mood Food.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A S\u00f4ng is also acutely aware of the impermanence of the collective model. They accept that the group may eventually dissolve \u2013 just as a river will inevitably flow into the sea. The legacy they leave behind may not be necessarily found in monumental physical works, but rather in intangible efforts: the threads of human connection, shifts in community consciousness, and an artistic spirit ignited under the loving roofs of households across Central Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><strong>Writer &amp; Translator: Trao<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;font-size: 10px\">[1] In a departure from Art Nation\u2019s usual editorial conventions, the diacritics in the collective\u2019s name have been retained at the collective\u2019s request.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the river\u2019s source Xuan Ha founded A S\u00f4ng\u00b9 immediately upon returning to Danang as a legitimate reason to continue reflecting on and maintaining her artistic practice. A S\u00f4ng\u2019s artistic practice, therefore, is intimately intertwined with that of its founder \u2013 a dedicated community-based approach. A S\u00f4ng exists and evolves like a watercourse: at times [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[119,120],"class_list":["post-7365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-natomy","tag-a-song","tag-collective"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.4 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A S\u00f4ng: Press \u201cplay\u201d and perceive - Art Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/a-song-press-play-and-perceive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A S\u00f4ng: Press \u201cplay\u201d and perceive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At the river\u2019s source Xuan Ha founded A S\u00f4ng\u00b9 immediately upon returning to Danang as a legitimate reason to continue reflecting on and maintaining her artistic practice. 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