Self portrait of Dacchi Dang
Date2021
Object number00056518
NamePhotograph
MediumPhotographic print on paper, colour
DimensionsOverall: 1,810 x 1,211 mm,
Copyright© Dacchi Dang
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionThe Sydney-based artist Dr Dacchi developed the artwork “Me and My Shadow” for an exhibition at the Fairfield Museum and Gallery in 2022. The core of the artwork is a video filmed by the artist while he was walking from Fairfield / Smithfield to Cabramatta. He recorded his journey by holding a case with a camera like a baby, filming his surroundings from a breast-high perspective. Dacchi’s journey documents these areas of Sydney and their daily life: complex immigrant communities and their street culture. The original video installation showed the walk in real-time on two separate screens. The full installation consists of two videos, four accompanying photographs and a self-portrait.
The self-portrait is a representation of the artist as he was when he unterook the artistic experiment. It was placed close to the central pillar with the video artwork in the original installation.HistoryDr Dacchi Dang is a Sydney based artist, photographer and researcher who has exhibited his works nationally and internationally. Many of his works commentate on the life of the Vietnamese or Chinese diaspora in Australia. Dacchi arrived in Australia as a refugee and works to preserve cultural memories connected to his roots in Vietnam and his life as an Australian citizen. In 2019, the Australian War Memorial commissioned two artworks from him: a series of lacquer panels and a video artwork, commemorating the relationship between Australia and South Vietnam. His other works include “The Boat”, a large-scale installation modelled on the ANMM’s vessel Tự Do.
The Fairfield Museum and Gallery and Dacchi Dang developed the artwork in order to both celebrate and document life in Fairfield, Smithfield and Cabramatta as it is today. The original exhibition “Extra/Ordinary” that included this artwork invited artists to react to the gallery, its location and its role in the community. It ran from 23 October 2021 to 09 April 2022.
SignificanceThe video installation is a rare example of an artwork that directly records and presents street life in a suburb with a strong immigrant community. Dr Dang developed it to be more than a simple recording of street scenes. The slow pace, deliberately chosen route, unique perspective and local viewpoints create a window into the culture of Sydneys’ suburbs.
