An inquiry into Casco’s library led by artist Dung Nguyễn
Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons is thrilled to announce the start of Read-in collective’s transdisciplinary residency and warmly welcomes them at our headquarters! This residency aligns with our team’s vision to expand the imagination of Casco as an (infra)structure for the ecosystem. Activating our library’s resources, including artistic and theoretical publications, archival materials and special collections, these resources will be subject to Read-in’s ongoing, long-term practice that experiments with the political, material, and physical implications of collective reading (including library catalogues), as well as the situatedness of their reading activities. The residency will be disclosed through several Read-in events open to the broader public and in connection to our ecosystem.
Read-in will be enacted during its residency by Dung Nguyễn in collaboration with other Read-in members. As an art practitioner, Dung focuses on challenging established norms and thought patterns. Recently, Dung has shifted her artistic practice from visual art to experimental and pedagogical pursuits, engaging in spontaneous collaborations, workshops, public interventions, and participatory performances that explore the potential of unconventional encounters. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Fine Art at HKU, Dung is based in Utrecht. Notably, she played a crucial role in revitalizing Read-in’s door-to-door sessions after an eight-year hiatus, organized within the Nina Bell F. House Museum framework last year. Additionally, Dung took the lead in organizing Read-in’s Haunted Bookshelves session, delving into the politics of memorization.
Read-in was originally initiated in 2010 in Utrecht by Hyunju Chung, Annette Krauss, Serena Lee, Laura Pardo, Marina Stavrou, Maiko Tanaka, Hilde Tuinstra, and Leonardo Vargas; which since then continues in shifting formations and new members joining like Sven Engels, Elaine W. Ho, Sanne Oorthuizen, and Wan Ing Que.
