It's an image rarely seen in Little Saigon: the red flag of Vietnam.
The last time the communist flag was displayed prominently in Orange County's Vietnamese enclave -- when a merchant displayed the banner -- it ignited 53 days of angry street protests.
Today, an exhibit commissioned by a Vietnamese American arts group will open in Santa Ana, a display that purposely includes communist symbols, the flag of the fallen country of South Vietnam and artwork that has been banned in Vietnam. In the middle of the country's largest Vietnamese population, the curators hope to challenge sensibilities and provoke discussion in a community where the topic of politics other than staunch anti-communism has long been taboo.
Organizers say the display is a direct response to the artwork of a UC Davis graduate student and Vietnamese immigrant who painted a foot spa yellow with three bright red stripes. She said it was to honor her mother-in-law's years of labor in a nail salon, but some in Little Saigon saw it as a mocking reference to the South Vietnamese flag -- which is also yellow with three red stripes -- and branded it communist propaganda. When a photograph of the artwork appeared in Little Saigon's leading newspaper last year, street protests erupted and the paper apologized and fired two top editors.
"We felt this prevailing fear around the Vietnamese community after the foot bath incident," said Tram Le, one of the curators. "I felt the community was on this slippery slope, that we were not progressing toward having open dialogue and being more tolerant of different political viewpoints."
The group hopes to change the mood in Little Saigon through art.
"I think that we were trying to confront that fear head on," said Mariam Lam, a UC Riverside assistant professor of literature and cultural studies, and board member of the art group. "We are trying to say that the community should be a safe space for people, even protesters."
The exhibit is extraordinary in this historically anti-communist community, where the memories of war and the communist takeover still smolder. Any hint of associating with Vietnam can spark accusations of communist sympathies that can ruin reputations and incite street protests.
