A Sense Of Purpose

ZOE BUTT AND THE FACTORY IN HO CHI MINH CITY.

- Teo Huimin

Uniquely placed within the bourgeoning and rapidly evolving arts landscape of Vietnam, Artistic Director of The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre (The Factory), Vietnam, Zoe Butt, understands the importance of a collaborative relationship of mutual understanding between artist and curator that allows for the emergence of engaging and meaningful artistic discourse.

Butt’s development of a pan-Asian curatorial approach can be traced back to her involvement with the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art while she was working at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia from 2001 to 2007. Following this, Butt spent time as Director of International Programmes at the Long March Project in Beijing China, until 2009 when she formally moved to Vietnam to become Executive Director of Sàn Art which she co-founded with artists Dinh Q Lê, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Phunam and Tiffany Chung in 2007.

Attaining the invaluable experience of working within various contexts of the global arts landscape from institutions, commercial galleries, and fluid, interdisciplinary spaces such as Sàn Art, Butt is regarded as the foremost authority on Vietnamese contemporary art and a frequent commentator on the conditions of art production in Vietnam as well as being a member of international communities such as the Asian Art Council of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.