“It took me a whole week to finally accept Đỉnh Q. Lê’s sudden departure. I am in deep shock. Today, I feel relieved to know that his body and soul are finally in a completely peaceful state, ready for the memorial service that will take place from April 15–18, 2024, at Thống Nhất Hospital, Saigon.” That was what I wrote to friends six weeks ago from now, May 26.

I first met Đỉnh in 2002 during “Window to Asia,” a workshop and exhibition at the Hanoi Contemporary Art Center, sponsored by Arts Network Asia – TheatreWorks, from Singapore, and curated by Trần Lương and Ong Keng Sen. My first impression of Đỉnh was of his kind, gentle smile and warm eyes. But the first time we actually conversed with each other was in 2003 during the touring “Identities vs. Globalization” exhibition, organized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, when we exhibited our works with other Southeast Asian artists in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Berlin. My admiration for his talent and humility grew from here. We subsequently encountered each other several times in exhibitions: at the Saigon Biennale (later called Saigon Open City) in 2007, when Đỉnh played the role of an artist and one of the three directors; in group exhibitions in Berlin and Myanmar; and in Santiago, Chile, where a selection from the 9th Asian Pacific Triennial toured in 2018.