Drifting souls project
Student Manifesto & International Platform
An initiative of the Bui Huu Hung Foundation
Inspired by the conceptual universe surrounding the lacquer Drifting Soul by Bui Huu Hung, Drifting Souls is a student-centered international initiative exploring memory, fragile peace, and cultural resilience through contemporary art and research.
Developed as both a manifesto and a collaborative platform, the project seeks to support younger generations of artists, curators, filmmakers, and researchers engaging with inherited histories and the emotional aftermath of historical rupture.
Centered around the question:
“I see a whole forest of hired mourners…
Who cries for My Country?”
the initiative approaches “My Country” not as a singular political identity, but as a broader reflection on memory, visual language, and ancestry.
As the inaugural activation of the platform, students in Venice and internationally will be invited to collectively nominate and vote online through the project’s Instagram page @driftingsouls.venice for works presented at the 61st Venice Biennale that connect with the themes explored in the manifesto.
Rather than functioning as a conventional art prize, the initiative proposes a parallel student-led reflection on the Biennale.
Eligible Works
- Eligible works may include artists and projects presented within:
- National pavilions,
- Collateral events,
- Performances,
- And research-based practices associated with the 61st Venice Biennale.
The initiative intentionally remains open across mediums and geographies in order to preserve the universality of the manifesto’s concerns.
Recognition
The selected artist(s) or project(s) will receive:
The inaugural Drifting Souls Student Recognition,
- Publication and archival inclusion within the Bui Huu Hung Foundation platform,
- Student-led interviews and documentation,
- And the opportunity for future dialogue with participating students and researchers.
Separately, the project will also support:
- Student-led discussions and research circles,
- Emerging practice micro-grants under the broader umbrella of our Student Exhibition Stipend Programme,
- And the future development of an international 3-month art residency programme in Hanoi and Hoi An, Vietnam.