Sutee Kunavichayanont’s Hanoi Blackboard (Crossed Histories) 2015, was a large school-blackboard-like painting. It was newly created for the specific site and situation in Vietnam; as part of the Concept, Context and Contestation : Art and the Collective in Southeast Asia travelling exhibition started earlier at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in Bangkok. The painting is a narration of shared history in parts between Thailand and Vietnam. Its content focuses on ‘Vietnam War’, a civil war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam during 1970s. In fact, it was the Cold War or a proxy war between Communism led by Soviet Union and Democratic Liberalism led by the United States of America. Thailand as a neighbor country, served the US at the time by providing Thai troops and ground bases for military uses. Meanwhile, the political and military collaborations between the Thai Government and the US were strongly opposed by Thai intellectuals and leftist students.

The artist had produced this painting site-specifically for the exhibition space at the Goethe Institut, Hanoi, Vietnam during 13th – 16th June 2015. The opening reception was then held on 17th June and open for public viewing during 18th-30th June 2015.