Berlin, Germany
Be Right Back
Loneliness is not just a feeling – it forms a landscape. In Be Right Back, artist Minh Duc Pham offers a deeply personal and poetic view of loneliness, identity, and belonging through the lens of the Vietnamese-German diaspora.
Inspired by the lived experiences of Vietnamese contract workers in the former GDR and the emotional burden of generational distance, the work addresses themes such as cultural expectations, grief, and the silent sadness of separation.
At the heart of the work lies a single question: What happens when the desire for belonging means the impossibility of returning? Archival material, witness accounts and sound fragments from the GDR era are woven together to create a dialogue between past and present.
This project is part of Minh Duc Pham’s ongoing artistic exploration of migrant identities and intergenerational trauma. Building on earlier research into Vietnamese-German history, it includes a public conversation with curator Diana Thun as part of the artist’s solo exhibition “Integrationswunder”. It shows what Be Right Back is ultimately about: the deep emotional structure of diasporic loneliness. The exhibition forms a substantive starting point for the performative development of this inquiry, opening up broader cultural and political perspectives.
In a time of rising nationalism and cultural division, Be Right Back offers a vital space for reflection and resilience. It sheds light on the often overlooked emotional burden of migration and the exhaustion caused by structural loneliness. The work fosters empathy, encourages dialogue, and opens a path toward healing.
At the heart of the work lies a single question: What happens when the desire for belonging means the impossibility of returning? Archival material, witness accounts and sound fragments from the GDR era are woven together to create a dialogue between past and present.
This project is part of Minh Duc Pham’s ongoing artistic exploration of migrant identities and intergenerational trauma. Building on earlier research into Vietnamese-German history, it includes a public conversation with curator Diana Thun as part of the artist’s solo exhibition “Integrationswunder”. It shows what Be Right Back is ultimately about: the deep emotional structure of diasporic loneliness. The exhibition forms a substantive starting point for the performative development of this inquiry, opening up broader cultural and political perspectives.
In a time of rising nationalism and cultural division, Be Right Back offers a vital space for reflection and resilience. It sheds light on the often overlooked emotional burden of migration and the exhaustion caused by structural loneliness. The work fosters empathy, encourages dialogue, and opens a path toward healing.
Artist:
Minh Duc Pham
Artist, Performer