KVT visits the Vietnam Fine Arts Association

Landscapes and Prints

Whenever you’re in the vicinity of Trang Tien it’s worth making a short detour around the corner into Ngo Quyen and see what’s on at the Exhibition House of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association. It’s just across the street from Singapore Airlines. For some reason the manager of the galleries doesn’t put the upcoming exhibitions on the Grapevine or other foreign language blogs and thus it’s too easy to miss out on some good…..and some bad….art.

This week is pretty special.

Downstairs are powerful woodcut prints by 35 year old female artist Hoang Minh Phuc. It’s worthwhile popping in just to see the carved printing blocks. As usual in this gallery the work is hung too close together and in too many rows and I wonder if this a Vietnamese gallery construct. It’s as if the Vietnamese eye is able to take in a plethora of wall pieces and isolate the ones they like. I usually end up a bit confused and overwhelmed. With Phuc’s work the images meld quite well without too much confusion Her black and red prints are understandably popular.

Upstairs is an expressionistic exhibition of recent landscapes and still lifes by 40ish artist Do Huy Thanh. Thanh’s mountain landscapes in oil are lively and a really refreshing change from the usual run of the mill efforts on the Sapa area. In fact if you’ve spent any time in the mountains around Lao Cai you’ll feel he understands his subject and that he’s actually spent a lot of time there letting the folds, colors and light seep into his mind. If I was in the market for an evocative mountain scape I’d look no further.