This incredibly detailed piece of digital pop art takes aim at Saigon's complex beauty.
A collaborative work from four local artists, Tuan An Vu, Ly Bui, Huy Nguyen & Huy Anh Le, S-A-I-G-O-N is a labor of love.
A nhậu scene depicted in the letter "O."
“Saigon always has a special place in our hearts. [It’s] not only because of the things we are proud of Saigon, but also because of the things we are not proud of...we start our own portrait of this city not to inspire or to move, but because we are inspired and moved by the city itself,” writes the group on their website.
Slums and construction make up the top of the letter "S."
According to Huy Anh Le, each of these detailed letters, which serve as individual pieces of art in their own right, weeks or months to create. The “A” and “I” took around 3 months of on-and-off work; the “S” was completed over 5 months; the “O” took 10 straight days and the “N” is about 1 month into its creation.
The foreground of the letter "I."
We asked Anh if the collective was worried about negative feedback stemming from some of the graphic scenes depicted in the piece.
“To be honest, we think this piece of work will reach the right audience: [a] young, contemporary, humorous and humble generation, who would be able to take things a bit less seriously. It is meant to be “pop” art, rather than something that may be assessed in academic or politically correct terms.”
Emergency crews respond to an exploding gas truck at the bottom of the letter "S."
As for the final letter “G,” the group is considering scenes ranging from a wet market with street restaurants to a mix of street vendors and motorbike parking.
Head over to S-A-I-G-O-N to see each letter in vivid detail.
