Vietnamese Contemporary Artists Receive Funding from Denmark in 2018
From the Embassy:
The Denmark Embassy in Vietnam on Monday announced eight art spaces and art initiatives in Hanoi and Hue as recipients of its 2018 Culture Development and Exchange Fund. Currently in its thirteen year, the grant support is an effort to position contemporary arts as a field of cultural action and exchange between Denmark and Vietnam.
Hanoi DOCLAB, Heritage Space, Manzi Art Space, Matca, Nha San Studio, REC ROOM, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents, and Then Café are the eight grantees of this funding program.
Within the grant’s framework, these local art groups will be able to produce projects that engage the community with various types of such modern arts as painting and installation exhibitions, film-making and photography workshops, publications and performances in the years of 2018 and 2019. These projects also represent current interests and critical priorities in the fields, especially the inclusion of a more diverse range of artists.
In this year’s cycle, the total budget of support is VND1,081,000,000 (US$50,000), making it one of the important grant dedicated to modern and contemporary art in the country. These grants support projects address both general and specialized art audiences, enabling more unseen works to find new audiences.
CDEF is a key component of Danish culture program in Vietnam. It was started in 2006 with total amount of 22 billion dongs (US$998.000). Its purpose is to increase cultural co-operation between Vietnam and Denmark with emphasis on creation, people’s access and participation in arts and promotion of cultural diversity. Since its launch, the program has supported hundreds of successful projects and artists, assisting Vietnam in creating a vibrant contemporary arts scene.
About the art spaces/initiatives:
1. Hanoi DOCLAB (Hanoi)
Support budget: 150 million VND
Project: HanoiImageLAB 2018: A Multi-Faceted Platform for Moving Image & Media Arts
Hanoi DOCLAB is a popular space for Vietnamese filmmakers. ImageLAB is a continuous multifaceted art program with a focus on the moving image, initiated by Hanoi DocLab since 2012. With five main components: Education, Production, Exhibition, Publication & Exchange, ImageLAB 2018 continues to equip local art practitioners with technical and critical knowledge to sustain their practices through a series of workshops, projects, exhibition programs, publication initiatives and collaborations with Danish partners.
2. Heritage Space (Hanoi)
Support budget: 180 million VND
Project: Months of Arts Practice – MAP 2018
Heritage Space’s Months of Arts Practice 2018 aims at creating an exchange platform for direct exchange between local and international artists with the special theme of minorities and vulnerable group in the society. The program’s activities combine educational workshop, art practice, study trips, meetings, and exhibitions, etc.
3. Manzi Art Space (Hanoi)
Support budget: 120 million VND
Project: Contemporary Art in Vietnam – Audience development & roles of art in social development.
Manzi Art Space’s program for 2018-2019 contains a variety of contemporary art activities with film screenings, cultural debates, a literature events, visual art exhibitions and music performances. Its program is to engage both local and international artists. The art space expects to organize at least 04 events/workshops every month in collaboration with different art partners in Vietnam and international partners in the region.
4. Matca
Support budget: 150 million VND
Project: Matca – A Gathering Space for Vietnamese Photography
Putting its focus on the contemporary photography in Vietnam, Matca’s project is to create a community art space for Vietnamese photographers. The project wants to serve as a change catalyst to the Vietnamese culture of photography with a contemporary approach. Its activities spread over many different aspects, including education. There will be 04 exhibitions within the project’s period.
5. Nha San Studio/Nha San Collective (Hanoi)
Support budget: 180 million VND
Project: Nhà sàn 2018
Nha San is a well-known art space for Vietnamese contemporary artists. Its program consists of a series of arts and cultural events throughout 2018 to promote the work of young artists and curators while stimulating artistic and generational dialogues in Vietnam. Art works and exhibitions will be held in 05 different places across Hanoi. Key events are: Emerging Artists Programme; Future in Reverse Programme; and Nha San 20+ Exhibition.
6. REC ROOM (Nationwide)
Support budget: 80 million VND
Project: REC Room Vietnam Tour
REC Room explores a creative solution, in which an art-bus tour with special focus on music performances is used to promote Vietnamese young artists and their underground arts across the country. In addition to REC Room’s artists, other local art practitioners such as street-dancers, tattoo and graffiti artists, and audiences can also join the bus on a hop-on-hop-off basis. The project is to spread awareness of a rapidly developing contemporary music scene among the Vietnamese youth beyond the city where they are set in. Kicked off since May 25th, the bus tour will lasts tentatively around 24 days. Initial route is scheduled as follows: Hanoi-Da Nang – Hoi An- Da Nang – Hue – Dong Hoi- Pu Luong – Hoa Binh – Hanoi – Hai Phong – Hanoi- Sapa – Tuyen Quang – Yen Bai – Hanoi.
7. The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD)
Support budget: 101 million VND
Project: Cinema to Audiences
Most of Vietnamese classic movies are preserved in forms of 35mm celluloid film with the only exceptions are movies made during the last five years. The situation is, therefore, a barrier to Vietnamese audience who want to enjoy either classical or modern cinema works. TPD’s project seeks to address such major challenges by bringing Vietnamese films closer to each audience through regular activities like organizing Vietnamese movie screenings, holding discussions with film-crews, etc. It also consists of many other different components from workshops to training courses for local young film-makers.
8. Then Café (Hue)
Support budget: 120 million VND
Project: Community art-support project
Then Café’s project aims to create a residency program for 10 Vietnamese young artists and five others from Asian countries to come and stay Lang Art Dorm, Hue City so they could research and produce art works in engagement with the local community. The invitees will create art-works inspired from their profound experiences and mutual collaborations. An exhibition of the final art-works at Then Café will wrap up the project.
About the Danish Embassy’s Culture Program:
The Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam has a comprehensive culture program. The total budget of the program is more than 3 million USD. The program focuses on promoting culture and art in Vietnam and culture exchange between Vietnam and Denmark. CDEF is a key component of this program. Since 2006, hundreds of contemporary art projects and artist have been supported through CDEF.
A short video introduction of the grantees: