Their time to shine

Lakeside: Ho Guom (Sword Lake) by HCM City Fine Arts College lecturer Le Xuan Chieu. Talk to the hand: Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I Am Listening) by Tran Thi Ngoc Linh, a student at the HCM City Fine Arts College.

HCM CITY — A group of 52 artists from HCM City is presenting an overview of current lacquer paintings at their exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts College.

Son Mai Sai Gon 2011 (Sai Gon Lacquer) features more than 50 works in different styles, using the traditional material of lacquer.

Being a native of northern province of Ha Tay (now part of Ha Noi), the influence of Le Xuan Chieu's birthplace can be seen in his art works.

The lecturer of the city's Fine Arts College's highlighted work is Ho Guom (Sword Lake), featuring Vietnamese girls in traditional costume ao dai (traditional long dress) at Ho Guom, a landmark of Ha Noi.

Like Chieu, landscapes and beautiful women are also sources of inspiration of veteran artists like 83-year-old Hoang Tram's Ha Long (Ha Long Bay) and Ca Le Dung's Xom Cau Van (Cau Van Village).

This year's exhibition features works of artists born in the 1980s, including students of the city's Fine Arts College Tran Thi Ngoc Linh and Vu Thi Thuy Dung.

The youngest participant, Linh of the college, brings a modern breath and image to her lacquer work. Linh's Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I Am Listening) portrays a girl in modern clothes listening to music with an earphone.

Held for the first time last year, the event falls on December 21 of the lunar calendar, the day that honours the memory of the ancestor who founded Vietnamese lacquer-making.

The exhibition remains open until February 12 at the Applied Arts Gallery at HCM City Fine Arts College, 5 Phan Dang Luu Street, Binh Thanh District. — VNS

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Technicolour images of the abstract artist

by Vo Le Hong

Naked ambition: Van Duong Thanh poses next to one of her works. — VNS Photo Sunny Rose     A load on their shoulders: Women Carrying Rice on a Shoulder Pole, a painting by Thanh.

HCM CITY — Colour has the strongest influence on emotion, according to artist Van Duong Thanh. Her art is not about the tangible but about the abstract. But although the universe is like a fantasy, it does evoke very strong images and feelings.

Her collection of 40 abstract paintings on display at the Sai Gon Rex Hotel in HCM City reflect her worldview.

"My strongest inspiration is the Sarus crane and other animals in the Mekong Delta," Thanh says.

"I love the green of the Delta's submerged fields."

Me Con Tren Canh Dong (Mother and Children in the Field), Bay Seu Duoi Anh Trang (Cranes in the Moonlight), Nhung Nguoi Dan Ba Ganh Gao (Women Carrying Rice on a Shoulder Pole), all on display at A Sense of Homeland, are testimony to this.

The overwhelming theme of Thanh's paintings is joy, whether it is an image of a winter's evening or a rainy afternoon.

For her, dark colours are just a "low musical note in a vivid concert".

"Art is a sublimated minute of a great accumulation."

Considered one of Asia's most talented female artists, Van Duong Thanh grew up in Ha Noi where she studied for 12 years at the Fine Arts College and the Academy of Fine Arts.

She was a researcher at the Institute of Culture in the capital from 1981 to 1987, and now divides her time between Sweden, where she teaches art, and Ha Noi.

The Vietnamese National Museum of Fine Arts in the capital added Thanh's works to its collection when she was just 21.

Since then, many of her works have gone on permanent display at national museums in several other countries including Thailand, Singapore, Spain, and Sweden.

Thanh was born in Phu Yen Province and during the war often had to evacuate to the countryside to hide in tunnels or finding shelter with peasants.

It was during this period that she developed an empathy for the rural way of life and the country's traditions. After the war ended, she completed her formal education at Ha Noi's Fine Arts College in 1980.

She has held many exhibitions in Viet Nam, France, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, the US, and Sweden.

A Sense of Homeland will be on display until June 30 next year. — VNS

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Culture Vulture

The National Fine Arts Exhibition, held only once every five years, represents the best of Vietnamese arts. Vi Kien Thanh, chairman of the culture ministry's Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, spoke to Culture Vulture about the event.

How is this year's exhibition different from previous ones?

The exhibition is the most significant event in Vietnamese fine arts as it reviews five years of creativity by artists from around the country.

This year, the 18th exhibition is displaying paintings, lacquer, sculpture, graphics and installation art which is quite fresh. Not many installation artworks are displayed in comparison with other kinds, but they reflect the importance and position of contemporary fine arts.

The jury board selected entries from photos, not from original items as they had in previous years. This has helped artists from remote regions submit works to the board and saved time and effort. This year the Art Councils has also included new members to guarantee the equity and accuracy of the result.

Why aren't all cities and provinces represented in the national exhibition?

In the previous exhibition, the organising board tried to show representative works from all cities and provinces, but this year only the most excellent have been honoured. In fact, we couldn't select any artworks from nine provinces.

The selected works include 500 from Ha Noi, 143 from HCM City and 26 from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, while 28 other provinces and cities are represented by five to ten works each. Many other locations have only one or two works on display.

The national fine arts exhibition is the most professional and prestigious rendezvous for artists nationwide, so only the most outstanding artworks are selected and recognised regardless of where they originate. This exhibition's quality and value have been affirmed. We are moved when many artists carrying their works from remote areas but can't give them prizes if they are not worthy.

The selection process was fair and objective and works were chosen based on their content and quality. There is no privilege for any artist.

But the number of work selected is uneven in between large and small cities and rural provinces, indicating uneven development in the fine arts. How do you think about this problem?

This is true, but it's quite normal. We cannot and do not expect equal development of high quality fine arts based on geographical criteria. Talent and good quality comes from the individual artist. We care more about bringing those good artworks to viewers in different regions so as many people as possible can enjoy the achievements of the country's best artists.

What do you think of the works of the many young artists in this exhibition?

The content of the works in this exhibition is quite diverse, ranging from the country's development, defence, and industrialisation and modernisation process, to historical topics and contemporary social issues, as well as the country's international integration.

Artists have had opportunities to join in field trips to such places as Pac Bo Cave in the northern province of Cao Bang, Nam Dan District in the central province of Nghe An, and the former Ho Chi Minh Trail. However, some young artists are not really interested in the country's common and current issues. I think they should be more responsible. I have strong belief in the young generation of artists. They are well-educated and have good professional skills as well as enthusiasm and creativity. We need to be more patient, as fine art is not something easy.

What will be the direction for Viet Nam fine arts after this exhibition?

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Viet Nam Fine Arts University. Viet Nam's fine arts have a long tradition.

The goal for Vietnamese fine arts will to continue producing new and high-quality works of art and contributing to the aesthetic awareness and development of the Vietnamese people. We are working on many things right now, including education, training, and planning and creating a framework for the development of the fine arts in Viet Nam and for bringing more works to the people. The ultimate goal for the development of Vietnamese fine arts is to contribute to an advanced artistic culture that is uniquely Vietnamese. — VNS

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Exhibition spotlights nation's fine arts

Prized landmark: The lacquer painting Ha Noi Co Cau Long Bien by Nguyen Truong Linh is one of three artworks to receive the Gold Medal. Colour of life: The National Fine Arts Exhibition reviews the state of Vietnamese fine arts during the past five-year period. — VNS Photos Truong Vi

HA NOI — The best examples of Vietnamese fine arts produced during the past five-year period are on show at an exhibition of 836 artworks in Ha Noi.

The National Fine Arts Exhibition is held every five years to review and assess the state of Vietnamese fine arts. The works awarded and displayed at the exhibition are selected from 5,000 entries nationwide.

They show the creativity, skill and increasing professionalism of Vietnamese artists.

The works on show include paintings, graphics, installations and sculptures that reflect different perspectives on contemporary life and society.

Tran Khanh Chuong, president of Viet Nam Fine Arts Association, who is also deputy head of the organising board, says "The exhibition presents many works by artists during the renewal process who are creating a positive movement in Viet Nam fine arts and sculpture. This is the most important event of Viet Nam fine arts this year."

Forty-eight awards were granted including three gold medals, six silver medals, nine bronze and 30 consolation prizes.

The gold medals went to Vu Cuong for Mam Da (Stone's Buds), oil on canvas; Nguyen Truong Linh for Ha Noi Co Cau Long Bien (Ha Noi Has Long Bien Bridge) lacquer; Nguyen Quoc Thang for Nhung La Thu Thoi Chien (War Letters), bronze sculpture.

Linh's painting was not the only one at the exhibition featuring Long Bien Bridge, but he is the winner thanks to different point of view and style of colours, says painter Le Anh Van.

Long Bien Bridge is portrayed as a grandiose construction with buttresses painted in dark and light colours. In contrast, the painter describes the lives of small people living around it.

The bronze sculpture of Thang tells a long story of a cruel war. The visitors can see an image of a soldier on guard, protecting the country. He lets fly with letters amid the gunfire and smoke. The sad eyes of a woman waiting for the letters – his wife or his mother – haunts people.

The oil painting Mam Da reflects life in a mountainous region. Despite the hard life, people, children and cattle are still energetic.

Rural power: The oil on canvas Mam Da by Vu Cuong, which shows the power and vitality of the people in mountainous regions, was granted the Gold Medal.

Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition Department, says "The quality of the work is quite even, so it was challenging for the jury and organising board to select the representative works for the exhibition.

"The artists show a wide variety and diversity of themes, styles and media. Through the artworks, they express their inner feelings.

"Many people think that all cities and provinces in the country have artworks displayed at the exhibition because this is the national event but actually, we couldn't select any artworks from nine.

"In the previous exhibition, the organising board tried to show representative works of all cities and provinces, but since this year only the most excellent ones are honoured."

The exhibition will run until Wednesday at the Vietnamese Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre, 2 Hoa Lu Street, Ha Noi.

After being displayed in Ha Noi, the exhibition will be taken to HCM City Fine Arts Museum and displayed between January 10-26. — VNS

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Arts journal now also in English

Bowled over: Studies on Vietnamese Fine Arts Scientific Information Bulletin 2008 includes articles on ancient and contemporary fine arts. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — The Viet Nam University of Fine Arts's Institute of Fine Arts has published an English translation of its annual academic bulletin Studies on Vietnamese Fine Arts Scientific Information 2008, with plans to issue translations of the 2009 and 2010 editions next year.

The bulletin, a yearbook of the fine arts scene, has been published annually since 2002 and has been warmly received by experts for its form and full-colour content. The 300-page, lavishly illustrated 2008 edition contains articles on ancient and contemporary fine arts and applied arts.

"It has been commissioned to function as a bridge between Vietnamese fine arts and the world as well as a forum in which artists and researchers exchange their views on academic issues," said Institute of Fine Arts director Le Anh Van.

Printed by The Gioi (World) Publishers, the journal will be issued for free to research institutes, fine arts colleges and universities, libraries, galleries, diplomatic organisations and cultural centres.

"About seven years ago, I had a chance to visit South Korea's National Museum of Fine Arts and realised that many Vietnamese paintings were respectfully displayed in the halls," said the director of the The Gioi Publishers, Tran Doan Lam.

"The director of the museum told me that they were interested in learning more about Vietnamese fine arts but could find very few documents in English. I promised him that we would publish a work in English to serve international researchers. Now my promise has come true." — VNS

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Culture Vulture

Artist Pham Tuan Tu is one of eight artists recently selected by the Denmark Cultural Development Exchange Fund for its Talent Prize 2010. Born in 1981, Tu is a graduate of the Ha Noi University of Industrial Fine Arts and is a member of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association's Young Artist Club. Tu spoke to Culture Vulture about his first solo exhibition and about the theme of sexual ambiguity that appears in his work.

Why do you think your work was chosen?

I get feedback from viewers, and I think that they have strange feelings when they look at my paintings. They are curious to see something which rarely appears in painting.

Of the eight painters who won, I like the most the paintings by Nguyen Xuan Hoang. His ideas and forms of expression are very particular. He puts a prosaic object (a chair) in his works but shows its particular aesthetics.

Do you usually paint on the theme of homosexuality?

I paint homosexual subjects because it attracts me. It is one of many themes I want to touch upon. Contradiction between social preconception and instinct makes for a miserable fate, especially for homosexual people.

I think that sex cannot exist as an independent entity. It is a dependent factor and is governed not only by chromosomes but by many other factors like psychology, living environment, habit and nature.

When I began to know about homosexual people, I thought unconsciously about them and their lives. I don't know what urged me try to understand them.

I'm interested in many human interest subjects. In my latest painting, In Life, which will be displayed at the coming National Fine Arts Exhibition, I looked at enjoyment. In another painting, A Memorial Afternoon, which was exhibited by the Young Painters Club last June, I depicted death, or the different ways people die. Not a bodily death, but a mental death.

I have focused on many other subjects in my exhibition.

Do you know how the lesbian and gay community responds to your work?

I have received a lot of feedback from people who have seen the paintings. I think that they should not been seen negatively, but I don't mind. My works are my individual viewpoint. I don't impose my thoughts on theirs.

This is your first solo exhibition. How do you feel about it?

I usually participate in annual exhibitions by the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association, or in groups of independent artists. So this will be the first solo exhibition in my career. It will be a good chance for me to improve myself.

I have had to think a lot about it. I didn't have a specific theme. I want to present the contradictions in modern society. I want to comprehend my individual thoughts with a view to creating new works. I will try to fully express my ideas in various forms.

How long does it take you to complete a painting? Will you sell them?

I paint very quickly. The three paintings Gay, Uni-sex and Mud were made in 2008. The painting In Front of the Mirror, I painted this year. All are acrylic on canvas. Right after finishing them, I was very satisfied with them. But that was at that time.

All the paintings are for sale. — VNS

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