National exhibition brings prospects to Vietnam’s fine arts

The ongoing Vietnam Fine Arts Exhibition 2015, gathering numerous artists from across the country, has been appreciated for bringing prospects to the country’s fine arts thanks to innovations in organisation as well as the rise in the number of young talented artists. A granite-stone statue featuring Vietnamese Heroic Mothers by Dinh Gia Thang from the central city of Da Nang wins the gold medal at the exhibition Efforts of innovation Jointly held by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, this year’s exhibition has shown innovations in organisation and curatorship. The Arts Council set clear criteria for the entries which should be well-executed in content and ideology, imbued with humanism and inclined to the good while embracing the essence of today’s life. The artworks were also encouraged to show the artists’ creativity in language and techniques, and their high sense of aesthetics while creating fresh visual effects. A total of 4,076 entries illustrated the abundant creativity and considerable care of fine arts circles nationwide towards the exhibition despite the gloomy situation observed in the country’s fine arts market in recent years. To increase the quality and the appearance of the display area, only 409 artworks were selected to be displayed by the Arts Council - half the number as compared to the previous edition. As another adjustment seen in this year’s event, the organising board welcomed all genres of contemporary arts, from video arts to body arts and body painting. The Arts Council comprised young acclaimed painters such as Nguyen Nghia Phuong, Dao Quoc Huy and Vu Dinh Tuan and sculptor Le Lang Luong. For the first time, the council saw the participation of those working in arts theory and criticism through the presence of arts critic Phan Cam Thuong. The exhibition has truthfully reflected the happenings of the national fine arts over the past five years as the country has seen many changes in the socio-economic situation as well as in the field of fine arts in particular. Artists’ creation in the past five years has been more realistic and profound. According to the Arts Council’s evaluation, graphic painters are appreciated for their remarkable vale and success, and sculptors are acknowledged for more of a focus on serving contemporary social life. Participants in other genres, such as video arts and installation, were limited in the number of submitted entries and quality; they hesitated perhaps because they thought that the event was a venue for traditional art forms. Artworks on display are presented in over 40 materials, in which traditional materials used in paintings and graphics remained dominant, such as oil paintings (30%); lacquer (16%); others include composite, silk and wood engraving, and bamboo paper. According to painter Le Anh Van, a member of the Arts Council, the submissions are equal in quality but none of them have stood out. The artworks have illustrated the artists’ clear-headed ability to keep pace with the essence of today’s life through their selected topics. The artists have also brought greater awareness and responsibility to issues of borders, sea and islands, production life, corruption and the negative sides of society, as well as religious beliefs, which can be seen through the silver medal winning lacquer painting ‘Len Dong’ (Mediumship) by Tran Quoc Giang and ‘Duc Tin' (Belief) – a video piece that won the bronze medal by Vo Viet Dung; or ‘Tuoi Teen’ (Teenagers) – Pham Hong Nhu’s silk painting which pointed out that technology has made people unmindful in their life. Thirty eight outstanding artworks were honoured at the exhibition, with two gold medals going to ‘Tuong Dai Me Viet Nam Anh Hung’ (Statue of Vetnamese Heroic Mothers) by Dinh Gia Thang from the central city of Da Nang and A Di Da Phat (Amida Buddha), a wood carved painting by Nguyen Khac Han from the northern province of Bac Ninh. The exhibition attracted more than 500 sculptures and installations with diverse and rich content, materials, language and styles with various creative trends including realism, abstract, impressionism, irreducibility and installations. Through the artworks, the participants expressed their thoughts, emotions and opinions on numerous social issues. At this year’s event, the remarkable increase of the number of modern-style works reflected the diverse movements of Vietnamese modern sculpture. With the installation entitled ‘Chuyen Que' (Countryside story), artist Ku Kao Khai was successful in creating an image of ingenuous farmers. In addition, the installation work ‘Khuc Bi Trang' (Woeful and Majestic Song) by Phan Gia Huong, featuring the portrait of three Heroic Vietnamese Mothers from northern, central and southern regions as well as mementos and letters by soldiers, has touched visitors. This year’s exhibition drew the participation of older painters, including Phan Ke An (92 years old) as well as painters Tran Huy Oanh, Dinh Trong Khang and Le Thi Kim Bach and sculptor Ta Quang Bao who are all over 80 years old. The continuity of younger generations According to statistics, the number of artists under 45 accounted for more than half of total participants, showing that young creators are predominant at this year’s event. In fact, artists born in the 70s and 80s have played a leading role in art activities. Vice Chairwoman of Vietnam Fine Arts Association sculptor Phan Gia Huong, who is also a member of the exhibition’s Arts Council, shared that the 2015 exhibition has a large number of young sculptors and unique artworks. They help viewers reflect on the current society as well as the future. However, many artists were hasty in creation as well as reproducing existing works. In addition, there are not many internationally well-known artists participating in the exhibition. It is very necessary for organisers to draw more of them to join domestic projects and exhibitions. Overall, the 2015 Vietnam Fine Arts Exhibition is a success. The over 4,000 pieces of artwork demonstrate thethe firm and scholarly foundation of modern Vietnamese fine arts. According to Head of Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vi Kien Thanh, despite the slow development of the country’s fine arts over the past years, many artists have created valuable artworks.

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