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Articles written by Mang Su

Asian Arts Initiative is proud to present Anh Vo: Punish, Perform, Possess, the artist's first-ever gallery exhibition. Vo is a Brooklyn-based, Vietnamese performance artist, choreographer, writer, and activist. Structured as a sustained performance, Punish, Perform, Possess blends sound, video, text, and sculpture. The exhibition draws from possessive ritual motifs to explore how perceptions of power systems and ideology, such as capitalism and communism, shift as they govern individuals. Live elements evolve daily through temperature changes, time, and audience interaction, making each visit a singular experience. Presented during the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War's end, this exhibition continues AAI' 2025 of Artist/Activist themes, honoring memory, trauma, and resilience through embodied practice. On opening night at 7PM, Anh Vo will present Untitled (Break Fast), a live performance centered around a possession-style speech delivered over steaming pho broth. The ritual unfolds as Vo irons their own body, accompanied by Kristel Baldoz as a ritual assistant and live drumming by Isaac Silber. As steam rises, the performance culminates in a symbolic act of self-mutilation.

The Assurance of the Ecstatic: On Anh Vo’s Three Performances

December 22, 2025

For audiences eager to identify words in movements, Anh Vo’s

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thINKingDANCE gratefully acknowledges support from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and from our readers and other individual donors like you! thINKingDANCE is supported by Critical Minded, an initiative to invest in cultural critics of color cofounded by The Nathan Cummings Foundation and The Ford Foundation.

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Mang Su (he/him) has short black hair and wears glasses. He is wearing a white button-down shirt, and is leaning on a table with a hand on his hip. The photo is in black and white. — Mang Su is a PhD Candidate in Philosophy at Temple University. He works on aesthetics, German Idealism, and critical theory. He watches performances and occasionally feels the urge to write about them. He is a guest writer with thINKingDANCE.

Mang Su