# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 14 Mar, 2026 at 02:00 pm – Sat, 14 Mar, 2026 at 03:30 pm
- **Event Description**: Welcome to Saturday University, a monthly lecture series featuring experts from around the world. Gain new insights on Asia throughout time as our visiting scholars, authors, artists, and thought leaders delve into new themes each season. Tickets include gallery access.

Ceaseless Replay: Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam
Thy Phu

More than a half-century after the end of the Vietnam War, its images continue to circulate—restaged, reimagined, and reinterpreted. From museum exhibitions to battlefield reenactments, the war’s visual legacy remains unsettled.

This talk explores how photography serves not only as a record of conflict, but as a powerful medium for performing memory. Focusing on An-My Lê’s Small Wars—a series of large-format black-and-white photographs taken at Vietnam War reenactments in the American South—it considers how artists respond to the lingering specters of war, and how images allow us to confront what may no longer be visible but is still deeply felt.

Lê, herself a refugee from Vietnam, does not remain outside these scenes. Instead, she steps into the frame—sometimes as a distant observer, sometimes dressed in the black pajamas of a guerrilla fighter. Her images do not reproduce the spectacle of war; rather, they evoke its quiet repetitions and enduring claims on memory, identity, and belonging. In dialogue with Lê’s work, the talk also considers Vietnam in Flames, a rare 1969 photo-book by ARVN officer Nguyễn Ngoc Hanh. Often dismissed for its staged imagery, this volume remains a touchstone for diasporic Vietnamese communities whose experiences are seldom reflected in official archives. It reminds us that reenactment is not necessarily deception, but can serve as mourning, resistance, and a way to lay claim to the war’s visual record. These photographic practices remind us that the aftermath of war is not only written in history books, but etched in images—sometimes staged, sometimes salvaged—that continue to matter for those who lived through it, and for those of us still learning how to see.

Thy Phu is a scholar whose research explores how photography and visual culture shape understandings of migration and Asian North American diasporic communities. She is a professor at the University of Toronto and co-director of Refugee States, a collaborative project working with refugee communities to create digital storytelling archives that challenge dominant narratives about displacement. She has also been involved in curatorial and public humanities projects that engage with photography and archival materials to deepen conversations about war and personal memory. She has written and co-edited five books, including Warring Visions: Vietnam and Photography and Picturing Model Citizens: Civility in Asian American Visual Culture. Through her work, she invites audiences to reconsider how images influence collective memory and cultural identity.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/seattle/saturday-university-|-photography-and-the-afterlife-of-the-war-in-vietnam/200029787470311
- **Event Categories**: performances, Exhibitions, Art, literary-art, Entertainment, Contests
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 0

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Seattle
- **state**: WA
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Seattle Asian Art Museum
- **lat**: 47.6303
- **long**: -122.3143
- **full address**: Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle,WA,United States

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/6d0e238c9d5c59c0595263bf59a3036ee02081f0c1cd797fcfb81ef169f83464-rimg-w1200-h676-dce6ded1-gmir?v=1772990291

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam being held?
  - **A:** Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam takes place on Sat, 14 Mar, 2026 at 02:00 pm to Sat, 14 Mar, 2026 at 03:30 pm at Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle,WA,United States.
- **Q**: Who is organizing Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam?
  - **A:** Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam is organized by Seattle Art Museum.
- **Q**: What has been the experience of attendees at Seattle Art Museum's events?
  - **A:** Seattle Art Museum has 243+ followers on AllEvents, reflecting a trusted and active community of event-goers who follow their events. Seattle Art Museum has a verified profile on AllEvents where you can read reviews and explore their upcoming events.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam is ideal for art lovers, trade professionals, collectors, and exhibition enthusiasts exploring the latest in their field. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Seattle, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Saturday University | Photography and the Afterlife of the War in Vietnam sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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