Fragments of history, whether through imagery or text, often feel distant in time, yet so familiar when encountered visually. Combat sketches, postage stamps, and typography from propaganda posters invite viewers to ask: how do they speak to today’s generation, living half a century after the war, and what do they reveal about our collective memory of Vietnam today?
Known for its extensive collection of wartime propaganda art, Dogma Collection has launched Collection+, a new initiative that invites members of the arts community to engage with its archive alongside their own collection. For the debut exhibition, running until November 2, 2025, combat sketches, postage stamps and typographic materials are selected and presented by Thanh Uy Art Gallery (Hanoi), Bưu Hoa (Saigon) and Lưu Chữ (Saigon). The collaboration doesn’t simply put historical materials on view, but repositions these fragments from the past in a contemporary setting, holding a dialogue with today’s viewers. In doing so, the past that seems far away is now reframed through the familiarity of Vietnamese collective memory, reminding viewers how deeply wartime visual culture continues to shape the present.
Installation view of “Collection+” at Dogma Collection.
The combat sketches, presented by Hanoi-based Thanh Uy Art Gallery, open the exhibition by offering viewers a glimpse of life on and off the battlefield. Gallery founder Đức Thanh Uy selected works created between 1960 and 1972 — the most intense period of the American War in Vietnam — highlighting women as central figures in the long revolution towards independence. Scenes of militia women and guerrillas marching, guarding the sea, or practicing their aim appear alongside depictions of daily activities and bonding moments, emphasizing a strong sense of community and collectivity. Seen today, the sketches are regarded as precious artworks that reveal a more humane and intimate side of wartime life, while also confronting viewers with the difficulty of imagining what it meant to live under constant threat of war.
Installation view of “Collection+” at Dogma Collection.
Bưu Hoa, a virtual archive dedicated to Vietnam’s lost postage stamps established by art director and illustrator Đức Lương (Luongdoo) in 2017, presents its first in-person exhibition in collaboration with Dogma’s collection, featuring stamps produced between 1958 and 1967. The display highlights the significance of postage stamps in Vietnam’s historical and political context since the era of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The most striking aspect is the meticulously hand-painted detail, depicting animals, plants, battlefields, industrial development, and the diverse communities of Vietnam. Despite their small scale and original communication purpose, these stamps carry immense historical and political weight, and their imagery conveys a sense of “richness” — of natural resources, cultural values, and collective achievements — affirming national identity even in times of war, scarcity, and the long process of nation-building.
Installation view of “Collection+” at Dogma Collection.
If paintings and stamps offer certain visual imagery of life, typography in propaganda and daily use captures viewers’ attention differently, evoking emotions and shaping perceptions through the written Vietnamese language. For this exhibition, Saigon-based independent graphic design collective Lưu Chữ selected propaganda posters according to their color palettes, compositions, iconography, and typography. As the exhibition text notes, their interest lies in how messages are conveyed through style and form. The display brings together photographs of typefaces from present-day street slogans and banners, archival newspaper print, lettering sketches, resistance-era propaganda posters, and a video documenting the production process, accompanied by publications on Vietnamese propaganda art for those seeking deeper knowledge. With bright, colorful palettes and bold, condensed letterforms, the works show how propaganda once functioned as a call to action that lifted collective spirits. What appears nostalgic or purely aesthetic to contemporary viewers today carried a sense of urgency and immediacy for previous generations.
Installation view of “Collection+” at Dogma Collection.
Sketches, stamps, and typography — the three main elements of the exhibition — were originally created for visual documentation and communication, and perhaps even as acts of survival, with their creators uncertain if the paintings would endure through the war, or the postage stamps would reach their destinations. Although the war already ended 50 years ago, these materials feel surprisingly familiar to our current generation, even though we have never lived through wartime or post-war periods. Perhaps, it is our daily exposure to state media and street propaganda that makes them feel immediate. They reflect cultural values and show how our aesthetics have evolved, shaping the collective memory and national identity we inhabit today. It is more than just about preserving the past, as they mirror our present, and reflect on where we come from and how far we have come as a nation.
Installation view of “Collection+” at Dogma Collection.
Photos courtesy of Mắt Bét and Dogma Collection.
“Collection+” is now on view at Dogma Collection until November 2, 2025. More information on the exhibition and opening hours can be found on this Facebook page.
