In celebration of the exhibition, ‘An Uncommon Thread,’ join us for live performance by artist KV Duong at Hauser & Wirth Somerset.
Taking place in the Rhoades Gallery, KV Duong’s ‘Homecoming’ is a performance that interweaves past memories of migration, ancestral worship and personal identity. Through live body painting, projection and sound, the performance traverses the complex terrain of postcolonial inheritance, queer experience, and the interwoven histories of place and body.
At its core, ‘Homecoming’ navigates the intimate connections between skin and landscape, the personal and the historical. Latex—a material laden with colonial legacies and queer symbolism—emerges as both a surface of inscription and a site of transformation. As the artist moves through shifting environments, his body becomes a vessel for collective memory, carrying echoes of displacement, survival and rebirth.
The event will begin promptly at 3.30pm, with an introduction and short screening, followed by the performance. This is a standing event which will take place alongside normal gallery opening hours. Please note that there will be audio and partial nudity during the performance.
Tickets are free, however we encourage donations to our 2024 – 2025 charity partner, Good Company Bruton. We ask that you register in advance to help us understand visitor numbers.
About ‘An Uncommon Thread’
‘An Uncommon Thread’ features 10 contemporary artists living and working in the UK. The group exhibition highlights the transformative power of unconventional mediums in evoking personal and collective memories. Through individual investigations of identity, tradition, nature, fantasy and the environment, the artists invite viewers to engage with the rich stories woven into each work.
This multidisciplinary exhibition follows ‘Present Tense’ (2024) and is part of an ongoing initiative at Hauser & Wirth Somerset that champions emerging and mid-career artists beyond Hauser & Wirth’s roster. The exhibition is in collaboration with Alice Black, Berntson Bhattacharjee, Carl Freedman Gallery, Gathering, Ginny on Frederick, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery and Union Pacific.
‘An Uncommon Thread’ is on view from 8 February – 21 April 2025.
About KV Duong
KV Duong is an ethnically Chinese artist with a transnational background—born in Vietnam, raised in Canada, and now living and working in Britain.
He examines the complexities of Vietnamese queer identity, migration and cultural assimilation through personal and familial history. He creates works on latex, highlighting its historical connection to French colonial rubber plantations in Vietnam, while simultaneously embracing its sensuality and symbolic association with the queer experience. The recurring motif of a door or portal signifies access and the limitations imposed by societal constructs, particularly those associated with colonial and LGBTQ+ history.