Yeu Q Nguyen

A public art installation & community engagement project, “High Hopes” explores resilience as a communal ritual and re-imagines art in public spaces as a sanctuary for collective healing and unification.

Taking inspiration from the tradition of Tibetan pray flags, these flags are meant to be on displayed until they are faded. The fading of the flags means that the hopes and wishes have been picked up by the wind and fill the surrounding space with their intentions.

This artwork is the result of over 2 years of collaborative efforts between me, the artist, the Santa Monica’s cultural affairs staff, family, friends, and over 200 community members of Santa Monica, from 2-year-old toddlers to 70-year-old elders, who participated in the flag-making workshops.

Participants are encouraged to respond to prompt questions: “What is hope? What do you hope for? What gives you hope?” in textual as well as visual forms. They are also encouraged to work in groups so they can discuss their responses, with the goal of promoting intergenerational and intercultural exchange between participants. The workshops took place in September 2022 during the Americana Concert Series at Gandara Park, and 216 flags were collected.

The studio production of the installation took place during October, where the 8x8 colorful flags were made into garlands with light-catching pipings, with installation finished in November 2022. Taking inspiration from the tradition of Tibetan prayer flags, these hope flags will be on display until their colors have faded through exposure to natural elements. The fading and disintegration of the flags signifies a harmonious union between their expressed intentions and surrounding space, facilitated by the open sea breeze which symbolizes peace and renewal.

Public art is often a field dominated by monuments to the ego, and with this work, I want to make a statement about the power of coming together. Fiber possesses extraordinary tensile strength and creative potential. In using a widely available material that is often associated with domestic crafts instead of fine arts, I challenge common notions about what public art can be, who can create it, and whom the arts serve. Moreover, I want to re-iterate that art can be more than traded commodities, that art is an essential social service and can provide creative solutions to current social needs. With this work, I continue my practice of introducing art and art-making as healing collective rituals that bolster our emotional resilience and empathy.

TOGETHER we created this public artwork, with the hope that it will remind and inspire every single visitor of our common humanity. Each flag, like the person painted it, is unique and different. Yet they all co-exist in harmony in order to create this singular vision in celebration not only of our enduring resilience, but also of our collective power.

-Yeu Q Nguyen