Humanitarians Not Heroes is Trong G. Nguyen’s “artist-as-company” project, initiated in 2002. Established under the umbrella of a legitimate business, HNH markets one type of product a year intended for wide consumption and distribution. The project occupies traditional and novel retail spaces to sell and disseminate concepts that intersect art, fashion, design, and socio-politics. Examining the valuation of objects whose complex functions follow simple form, HNH’s mission operates at the perimeters where art and capitalism converge.
Similar to the categorization used in board game “Trivial Pursuit,“ the T-shirt project consists of 7 color-coded categories:
Tan – Historical figures
Light Blue – Historical events or eras
Red – Music
Orange – Entertainment
Green – Philosophy
Blue – Literature
Gray – Art
Within each of these categories are t-shirts bearing the birth and death dates of notable figures, such as Marcel Proust (blue) and Genghis Kahn (tan.) The shirts simultaneously become both the artist and wearer’s own subtle commentary on time and mortality.
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Humanitarians Not Heroes is Trong G. Nguyen’s “artist-as-company” project, initiated in 2002. Established under the umbrella of a legitimate business, HNH markets one type of product a year intended for wide consumption and distribution. The project occupies traditional and novel retail spaces to sell and dis...
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