Vănguard: Issue 3

TRIBUTE TO OUR FRIEND Đinh Công Thành As I was riding in the backseat of my best friend’s motorbike driving down the streets of Saigon and being suffocated by its infinite smog, something beautiful had caught my eyes. I told my roommate to turn around and we spent the next few moments to capture the scene. It was a quirky cartoonish image of a woman with flip flops dangling from her toes and topped off with a bamboo hat. It was a piece of street art plastered onto the outside walls that encased a communist government building. It was daring, bold and most importantly, fucking hilarious. I posted the photo onto Instagram with the caption “@thanh_coco hi *peace sign emoji*”and that very same afternoon, we met for the first time. Instagram reminded me that it was exactly 38 weeks ago.

It is with the weight of a thousand stars that I must share with you all the passing of one of our beloved artist, community member and friend, Công Thành.

We had met by fate during the summer of 2015 and it has been my honor to both meet him and work with him during his last year with us. Serendipity led him into all of our lives, and the love that he shared with us will forever keep him in our hearts.

Công Thành was a person of great humility and kindness. Somehow he always had a compliment to give and he always had a way of making everyone feel good about themselves.

I remember standing together with him on the busy streets of Saigon talking about our dreams and the future. It was his goal to be accepted into an art residency so that he can continue to improve on his craft. Công Thành was the type of person whom you wished nothing but the best for him. His art has always been reflective of his life – an undeniable beauty in the chaos of all its complexity. This was the last thing that he said to me back in January: “im up to build myself an organic garden in my garden, with a small hut in the middle, it’s gonna be good for me, I have a space to revive and making art” May his garden thrive with beauty and bring happiness to those around it just as Công Thành did, and will always do. This is an image that my best friend and I commissioned from him. In our hearts, Công Thành will always be our Saigon Rebel.

PHUOC PHAM

K h a n h A i d e n N g u y ễ

KHOA HA

N U

JACQUELL

JACQUELL

“GARDEN” | GABBY MILLER | WATERCOLOR ON SILK | 2X3 FEET (2012)

DO I BEAR A RESEMBLANCE TO MY GREAT GRANDFATHER PERCY? (2016)

TRẦN NGUYỄN TRUNG TÍN

“GOING SWIMMING” | DIGITAL COLLAGE

GABBY MILLER

“TURQUOISE WAKE” | DIGITAL PRINT (2015)

Hoàng Long

Published by Vănguard LLC Co-Founder & Producer Thanh Nu Mai Co-Founder & Designer Khanh Aiden Nguyễn Co-Founder Đăng Bùi Cover Art Xuân Hạ Guest Designers Phuoc Pham Ian Quee Contributors Alex Ngo, Anna Vo, Gabby Miller, Hoàng Long, huệ-tây, Jacquell, Ian Quee, Khanh Aiden Nguyễn, Khoa Ha, Lam, Phước Thái, Phuoc Pham, Rosi Le Thi Ngo, Thanh Nu Mai, Trần Nguyễn Trung Tín, Xen Nhà, Xuân Hạ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or mean without prior approval of the publisher.

ISBN: 979-8-89425-000-7 Vănguard: Issue 3 © 2016 Vănguard LLC, with contributions by Alex Ngo, Anna Vo, Gabby Miller, Hoàng Long, huệ-tây, Jacquell, Ian Quee, Khanh Aiden Nguyễn, Khoa Ha, Lam, Phước Thái, Phuoc Pham, Rosi Le Thi Ngo, Thanh Nu Mai, Trần Nguyễn Trung Tín, Xen Nhà, Xuân Hạ