English | Tiếng Việt

The act of hunting in the Central Highlands of Vietnam is discussed in Eric T. Jenning’s book Imperial Heights: Dalat and the Making and Undoing of French Indochina:

“John Mackenzie suggested that the hunting of large animals at the colonies, above all, is a demonstration of power, an expression of value, masculinity, class, and elitism.” 

He believes that hunting is imbued with heroism, glorified with eroticism and adventure. Nonetheless, it was at times too violent and uncontrollable. In 1928, the Comité National pour la Protection de la Faune Coloniale (National Committee for Colonial Fauna Protection) and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (National Museum of Natural History) passed strict regulations to protect the animals in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

This piece is a painting depicting the eagle’s skull from the specimen archive of the Tay Nguyen Biological Research Institute in Da Lat. Attaching golden scales that spread like mushrooms on the skull, Phi Long references the violent greed inherent to hunting and the Western heroism that overshadows the nativity of the Central Highlands. Golden scales symbolize power and are used to decorate dragon scales on royal attire, symbolizing authority. These scales were used on the clothes of King Bao Dai, who was both the Head of State of Vietnam and the Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty during this period. Bao Dai was a king with a unique identity and status, who, on one hand, connected the East and West, and on the other hand, balanced external powers with the complex internal political changes of a regime threatened from many sides. Yet, he was also a man who enjoyed sports and hunting.

Phi Long enlarged the skull to 1.5 x 3.3 meters so that the audience could experience its dominant and communicative presence, inviting further interest and discussions on this subject.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
K.L.
The Manzi Art Programme, supported by the Goethe Institut

The following images are from the larger “Hunting As A Metaphor for Politics” series, comprised of 45 paintings (ink and watercolor on canson paper) created between 2016 and 2018: