KVT – Firmly Defending our Nation’s Sea and Islands

(Vietnamese version available – Đã có bản dịch tiếng Việt)

KVT gets totally involved in East Sea past and present history

There’s a particularly interesting exhibition at the free downstairs galleries at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Particularly interesting because the 55 pieces on display are thematically chosen from the Museum’s collection of Vietnamese Art and generally cover a period from the 1930ies to the 1990ies. Particularly interesting too because the pieces have been really nicely presented. Also particularly interesting because, it is obviously meant to be a provocative statement.. The PR blatantly sings out:

‘You are invited to the exhibition “Firmly Defending our Nation’s Sea and Islands” which raises a strong voice in protesting against China’s aggression in the East Sea.’

If you rush along expecting tub thumping jingoism you’ll be mostly let down. It’s a visually pleasing mix of line drawings,

Pen and ink sketches

water color scenes

Gouache sketches

oil canvasses

lacquer works

and a few sculptures

Works on exhibit generally reference the defence of Vietnam’s coastal areas during the American War. Interspersed are coastal scenes that touch on life, as it often still is, in small coastal communities

An obvious reference to Vietnamese/Chinese conflict is a delightful wooden sculpture of soon to be emperor Quang Trung in his boat as he moves up the coast of the country from the south, landing at coastal villages and co-opting or coercing fishermen to become part of his small armada and army that would, in 1778, eventually defeat Chinese invaders in a decisive battle in present day Hanoi…and if you want to see the mound of earth that covers the remains of many of those defeated invaders, it’s still there in the busy little park of Cong Vien Dong Da on Tay Son and Dang Tien Dong Streets

In my fertile imagination a lacquer from the 1990ies in rich earthy tones and gold and vivid reds could be hinting at the Vietnamese most recent humiliation of Chinese forces when the Chinese invaded northern border towns in 1979 and were ejected from the country by determined, depleted forces

Canvasses depicting ship and fishing boat building have a potent energy about them

I like the way that a very busy and powerful 1990ies lacquer of a Vietnamese water assault could cheekily hint at the 13th century victory by Vietnamese led by Tran Hung Dao over Kublai Khan’s invading Mongol fleet when over 400 Mongol craft were sunk when they were pierced by steel tipped spears that were sunk into the mud of the Bach Dang River near present day Hai Phong. Plucky, ill equipped Vietnamese forced the 300 000 strong Mongol army to retreat

Unfortunately the exhibition concludes tomorrow (the 29th) but hopefully the powers that be at the Museum will arrange for a few more thematic exhibitions to showcase art, much of it extremely good and tremendously historically important, from their storage rooms.

A couple more images to conclude…apologies for my inadequate camera skills