The KVT Awards – Best of 2010

The KVT Awards 2010

What did this humble opinionista find ‘top of the pops’ in the 2010 Hanoi cultural scene?

First some explanations… Because this year was Hanoi’s year of years my 2010 choices will only include stuff done exclusively by Vietnamese nationals or stuff done collaboratively between said nationals and the rest of the world as long as said nationals played an equal or dominant role. According to these rules most overseas visitors, expats and Viet Kieu are disqualified…

Also, this cultural list doesn’t mention Vietnamese cinematic film, literature, or drama as the opinionista’s grasp of Tieng Viet is at the level of a 5 or 6 year old…

As to music, the list limits itself to classical, jazz and experimental genres…

As the opinionista was out of the country all of July and August he missed exciting things like an installation at L’Espace and “Tam Ta”, a group exhibition, at Bui and, because he wanted to get excited about contemporary Chinese art in Beijing and over-excited by the Shanghai Biennale in December, he couldn’t get to see what promised to be a good photography show near Long Bien. Due to one off events clashing he occasionally had to toss a coin to make a decision on what to attend, and when some art venues weren’t open at publicized times, a couple of good exhibitions that he wanted to see were omitted.

The TOP OF THE POPS AWARD

for anything that completely took my breath away, is shared three ways by:

Bopha Xorigia Le Huy Hoang’s extremely beautiful installation ‘Rain’ at Nha San in March

the National Opera and Ballet’s excellent full length premiere of ‘ My Chau and Trong Thuy’ (Love in the Citadel) in November at the Opera House,

and by the truly impressive bamboo constructions installed along and near the Duong River Dyke (twice this year) by Dao Anh Khanh …

VISUAL ARTS

…the best of (apart from any of the 5 star trio above)

Most impressive were:

the provocative installation, ‘People in the City’ by Pham Ngoc Duong, in January at Goethe

the thoughtful canvasses of Ha Manh Thang’s ‘Not Memory’ at Bui in April

and Nguyen Trinh Thi’s clever video piece ‘Unsubtitled’ at Nha San in November.

On Canvas:

it was too hard to have just one or two favorites and so I decided to mention all of the ones that intellectually engaged me.

First there were those that came from personal, interior places and included Ly Tran Quynh Giang’s two outstanding exhibitions- ‘Are You Sick’ at the Viet Art Center in December and ‘Solitary World’ at Art Vietnam in March;

[lang_en]Nguyen Huong Giang’s ‘The Puzzle’ in November at The Viet Art Center;

and the intense journey undertaken by Nguyen Van Phuc in “My Name is Happiness” in May at Art Vietnam.

Besides Ha Manh Thang, artists who successfully broached societal issues were Pham Huy Thong’s pink and powerful ‘Dong Bao’ canvasses at Bui in December

and Do Anh Tuan’s arresting ‘I Wish’ at the Art Museum in November.

The abstractions of Ly Truc Son and Le Anh Quan at the Viet Art Center in December and February provided relief in a very figurative 12 months.

First Timers award:

any of the 8 young artists chosen as finalists in the nation wide ‘Talent Prize 2010’. I was totally in agreement when Pham Tuan Tu was elected the overall winner.

Installations:
were strong in 2010. Apart from ‘People in the City’ I spent a lot of time with Tran Van Thuc’s very realistic Old Ladies at L’Espace in October,

Le Quoc Viet’s caligrapghy on ceramic plates at Art Vietnam in February,

Nguyen Xuan Long’s intriguing ‘ Pink Box’ at Au Co in January,

and two installations with a lot of promise for future development, “Boom”, by Pham Van Truong at Viet Art Center in March and Vu Kim Thu’s very colorful ‘Rangoli’ at Bui in May.

Video art and photography:

I was really impressed with Hanoi Link’s ‘X Seconds’ at Goethe early in the year but, excepting ‘Unsubtitled’, a lot of video passed me by or left me yawning.

The 1000 photographs displayed at the Temple of Literature during the 1000th birthday by the Hanoi Photographers Association were fascinating and popular.

Sculpture:

Tran Van Phuc’s old ladies were poignant and I’ve started to really appreciate the work of Dao Chau Hai after exposure to his steel waves in November at the Viet Art Center.

Art as performance:

was mostly a phizzog. A group performance at the conclusion of a workshop by German/Turkish maestro Nezaket Ekici at Goethe in November was promising.

Best Group Shows:

were in January at Au Co Gallery with Nguyen Xuan Long’s ‘Pink Box’ being a stand out in a strong line up while the trilogy ‘Hanoi, the City in Art’ at Goethe in November/December was a select, retrospective look at some impressive work in all genres since the 1980’s and the ‘2010 Talent Prize’ was a great chance to see some emerging artists’ work.

Disqualified but impossible to dismiss:

shows such as Maritta Nurmi’s very strong solo at Art Vietnam,

Jamie Maxtone-Graham’s photographs in a group show at Bui,

Nguyen Cam’s stunning new canvasses, also at Art Vietnam,

and Lionel Descostes embroideries at Bui.

PERFORMING ARTS

Most impressive were collaborative dance productions (with the WOW factor being provided by ‘Black Water’ by the Skane Dansteater – disqualified because most of the dancers were Swedes).

Whenever I see the National Ballet dance ‘Bamboo Rain’ or ‘Heart of Silk’ I melt and I was glad that their latest collaborative, full length work was a creative stunner.

Music:

In the classical genre Mahler blew everything out of the water, especially when The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra gave his 4th in April but their playing of Dvorak’s 8th in December was gorgeous too. Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ was a good precursor to an ambitious Mahler’s 8th …and the most fun was provided by the National Opera and Ballet’s orchestra when visiting conductor Mikhail Shcherbakov led them through a program of ultra-lite Strauss.

Non-classical bravos go to Tri Minh’s sound composition at the ultra excellent ‘Hanoi Soundscape’ on a rainy night in April at the History Museum, and to all of the local sound makers and musicians who collaborated in a super special ‘Cracking Bamboo’ at Nha Hat Lon in March. A standing ovation is deserved by the musicians who performed the brilliant, contemporary, Tuong composition at Ly Tran Quynh Giang’s exhibition at the Viet Art Center in December and especially pianist, Pho An My.

Dance:

enough said!

PUBLIC ART

The ceramic wall project along the dyke is a world beater and something any city would be proud to own. The light installations along Dien Bien Phu and Trang Tien for the big birthday bash were outstanding.

THE BENEFACTORS

A lot of last year’s most memorable cultural life was due to the positive input of a lot of externals. To mention particular cultural centers, embassies or governments means the likelihood of missing out a cog in the wheel that has generously provided funds and venues for a huge variety of artists, performers, programs and events, not forgetting the master classes and tutorials that the visitors undertake when they are in Hanoi.

Season’s Greetings

Thus this opinionista rounds off by wishing you all a happy new solar new year and a meowsomely creative year of the cat come February as it explodes in a swirl of peach blossom and orange cumquats……and if you have any opinions that you’d like to share about my choices, or add your own favorites, then you’re welcome!