Gomma Photography Grant 2021
Long Time No See
Photographer
Andrea Orejarena & Caleb Stein
Long Time No See
10 Feb, 2022
'Long Time No See' is a fragmented collection of visions that explore the memory of the Vietnam-America War and the ongoing legacy of chemical warfare. We bring together photographs, paintings and video made in collaboration with Vietnamese veterans and their descendants. Over a two year period, we worked closely with the community at Là ng Hữu Nghị -- a residence in Hanoi for veterans and younger generations affected by Agent Orange, a genetically mutating chemical weapon used by the U.S. during the war. In this project, we have challenged the traditionally rigid divide between subject and author, and this work is the product of our mutual creative process. Many of the people in the photographs contributed paintings, and sometimes drew directly, on the photographs. Their drawings also appear on the walls of their bedrooms in the background of the photographs. In the same spirit, the videos are dream-like vignettes we co- directed with Vietnamese veterans, blurring the lines between memories, dreams and wish- fulfillments. This collaboration offers a counter-narrative to the dominant historical narrative in the U.S. We are interested in how larger socio-economic and political structures are visible, or hidden, within what is personal, psychological, and spiritual.
About the photographer
Andrea Orejarena & Caleb Stein
Andrea Orejarena & Caleb Stein are an artist duo. Andrea Orejarena (b. 1994) is a Colombian-born American multi-media artist. Orejarena received a BFA from Vassar College in 2017 with a degree in art & cognitive science. Her work employs the intersection of technology, memory and desire to explore American mythologies and narratives as she grapples with her relationship to the country that has become her adopted home. Caleb Stein (b. 1994, UK) is a U.S.-based artist. He graduated from Vassar College in 2017 with a degree in art history. His work explores the fragility of memory through an embrace of community and the dynamic, energetic interactions that occur within it. Questions surrounding mythology and narrative as they relate to the United States and the international influence it exerts sit at the core of much of Stein’s work, as he grapples with his relationship to the country that has become his adopted home. Stein often works as an artist duo with Andrea Orejarena to explore these concerns together. Orejarena & Stein’s, ‘Long Time No See’ will be published by Jiazazhi Press in 2021, with texts by Forensic Architecture and Äá»— TÆ°á»ng Linh, designed by Brian Paul Lamotte. Orejarena & Stein's work is a part of several private collections including the Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Collection. their work is also included in the permanent collection of the Nguyen Art Foundation. Orejarena & Stein's work is available through The Curator’s Room in Amsterdam, Rose Gallery in LA, and Vin Gallery in Ho Chi Minh City. They have been nominated for a number of major awards. Most recently, they were nominated for 2020 W. Eugene Smith Grant, and were recently selected for the 2021 Hariban/Benrido Juror's Choice by Yasufumi Nakamori (Senior Curator, Tate Modern).
