Interview with Koganecho Bazaar exhibiting artist Raya Ben

Interview & text: Akiko Inoue photo: Masamasa Nishino

Koganecho Bazaar 2014 Participating Artist Raya Beng is a Vietnamese artist who creates murals using spray cans, video and computer design works, and character creation. I was told that a certain ongoing project would be introduced this time, so I visited 1-1 Studio, which had just opened in early August and where his works were on display.

When traveling in Southeast Asia, you often see stalls selling sugar cane juice. The project he is developing in Koganecho this time is called the ``Sugar Cane Lady Project,'' which originated from a painting of a woman that was once painted on that stall. This project, based on fieldwork and research, is an attempt to explore the historical and cultural background that lies behind the characters that can be called national female images, through people's personal memories.

We interviewed Ben about his project, who has an impressive carefree smile and easy-going demeanor that belies his journalistic curiosity in collecting small memories drowned out by the noise of history.

What is Sugar Cane Lady Project?

- First, before we ask you about the project, I would like to ask you about the current situation regarding sugar cane juice in Vietnam.

Are stalls selling Sugarcane juice something you can see everywhere in Vietnam? And is there always a picture of the Sugarcane Lady on it?

In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, Sugar Cane Juice stands in Vietnam changed from having actual women standing and selling products to selling by drawing pictures of women on the stalls. This is because the concept of advertising was brought to Vietnam under the influence of the United States, and since then, like the Sugar Cane Lady, colorful motifs such as fruits and sugar cane have been incorporated into food stalls.

However, in modern Vietnam, these old-fashioned food stalls are no longer seen, and now it is common to sell food using automatic machines.

Kogai-Sugar Cane Super Machine by Raya Ben

- So where did Ben first discover this painting? Please tell us how you started the “Sugar Cane Lady Project”.

I don't remember where I first found it, but I found it when I went to the countryside. There are still many old-style stalls left in the countryside. There are many similar paintings, but I started this project because I was curious about who this woman was.

An example of Sugar Cane Lady

- What exactly is the “Sugar Cane Lady Project” doing?

We are collecting photographic documents of the actual Sugar Cane Lady and stories related to the Sugar Cane Lady.

I actually wanted to find out who was the first to draw this picture of a woman, but all the people who were alive at that time were old, so it was difficult to talk to her. So instead, we decided to use Facebook and other channels to ask people from that generation, ``Please tell us your image of a Sugar Cane Lady,'' and collect stories related to the Sugar Cane Lady among them. Did.

- The subjects of your research are people who lived around the 1970s, when the Sugar Cane Lady was depicted. How long has this project been going on and how many people have responded?

It's been about a year since I started the project. We had 10 people respond to our questions and we were able to hear their stories.

Vietnam's national songstress Tan Lang, who came up during the research - What is her relationship with Japan? !

- What kind of story was there?

For example, ``This Sugar Cane Lady was the daughter of an American general and she was so beautiful that she wasn't Vietnamese.'' or ``She ended up marrying a French officer and moved from the countryside to the city.'' That's the story...

Among them, the story about Phan Tai Tan Lan, a diva who was active from around 1960 to 1975, is an interesting story that also relates to Japan. As I was doing my research, someone sent me a photo of the national songstress. When I saw that, I realized that the image of the Sugar Cane Lady and Thanh Lan was very close to the ideal image of a Vietnamese woman. So I'm currently looking into the relationship.

- So she was a diva who was active during the Vietnam War. What are you doing now?
And what is its relationship with Japan?

She defected and is now in America. (*Note: Thanh Lan was Vietnam's No. 1 actress and songstress at the time. After the end of the war, she tried to escape from Vietnam many times as a member of the boat people and succeeded in emigrating to the United States.)

By the way, this is her song.

- Eh! Is it Japanese? !

It is generally said that the friendship between Japan and Vietnam deepened after the 1990s, but I believe that the friendship existed before 1975. Because at that time, Japanese producers went to Vietnam and were producing a lot of artists. I think this video is proof of that.

- So a small part of a certain history has come to light from a certain person's personal memory. It's a very interesting story.
What is Ben pursuing through his collection of Sugar Cane Lady paintings and the stories surrounding those images? Also, is the goal of this project visible at this stage?

Through this project, I am not just pursuing the image of women, but also focusing on collecting Vietnam's historical memory. It will also serve as a record of the history of the country I live in, Vietnam.

It's been about a year since I started this project, but I still don't know where it will end. However, if I can reach a point where I am satisfied with something, or if this project produces some positive effects and I can feel that, then I think that might be the goal of this project. At this point, I don't even know where the end point is.

About Koganecho Bazaar 2014 exhibited works

- At Koganecho Bazaar 2014, it looks like Ben will be able to see what he has achieved so far in what he has been exploring over the past year. Please tell us more about this exhibition/demonstration.

In Koganecho, 1 of 1 Studio is exhibiting photos of Sugar Cane Juice stalls and various Sugar Cane Ladies collected over the years. Some of them include the Sugar Cane Lady that I drew. At Kaidan Hiroba, we actually set up a food stall and are offering sugar cane juice made from sugar cane imported from Okinawa to everyone.

- The food stalls are also handmade by Ben. What is special about this stall?

As you can see in the photo in the exhibition room, there are several variations of sugar cane juice stalls sold in Vietnam, and among them, Chinese-style stalls incorporate Chinese history into the decoration and sell the products. At times, we also talk about their history together. This time, I also imitated that style and painted the stalls with decorations that show the history and culture of Vietnam.

If you see Ben at Kaidan Plaza, please come say hello and try some of Ben's Sugar Cane Juice. Sugar Cane Juice is much more refreshing than you might imagine, with a slightly watermelon juice-like flavor that's perfect for summer.

And this time, Ben held a mural painting workshop with the children of Keikyu Kids Land Koganecho as part of the Koganecho Bazaar. Here's what it looks like. By the way, the pictures drawn here will be displayed on a steel plate in front of the Bazaar Bazaar.