KVT – A Gem in the Italian Tiara

A Gem in the Italian Tiara

My favorite Vietnamese name is Ngoc….the precious gem. I prefer to think of the name being represented as a lustrous ruby.

In Hanoi the Italians are definite Ngocs in the cultural scene. Every year they come along with some real sparklers.

A few years ago they gave us one of the most memorable and funny nights I’ve had in Vietnam when Marinetti and the Futurists descended on the Goethe courtyard with a delectable, if imaginary, meal.

A couple of fabulous contemporary dance troupes have given us a WOW factor and, at times, the Opera House has resounded with some scintillating Italian musical talent.

This year they’re up to their gem-laden tricks again and a peek at their Italian/Vietnam schedule for 2011 is enough to make your cultural taste buds start salivating.

At present in the Museum of Fine Arts they have an interesting exhibit that hones in on the restoring of art masterpieces. It sounds a bit dry but for anyone interested in the restoration and preservation process it’s fascinating. The opening featured a doco and talk about the restoration of Sistine Chapel. Judging by the number of Vietnamese at the first night, the subject has a lot of local appeal.

As well it should!

Vietnam has a treasure trove of invaluable and irreplaceable art works that range from antiquity to the very modern and a lot are stored or shown in conditions that certainly don’t inhibit deterioration. Only the other week I had my best framed pieces on paper out of their frames to have mould spots carefully removed and a couple, only a few years old, have taken on an non-removable patina of age .

As with most exhibitions and events hosted by foreign governments and their cultural departments, it’s the extras that have the most value…the workshops, the master classes etc. And the Italian experts are conducting seminars that will help Vietnamese conservators and students of this art build their skills and abilities.

It’s a show worth getting along to see even if summer is hitting us with a vengeance that makes most of us pine for those days in darkest winter when we thought warm weather was never going to come and life was seen as a bundle of scarves, coats, thick socks and gloves.

What I also like about Ngoc is that it’s a unisex name and suits just about anyone with a sparkle in their eyes….even if a lot of outsiders find it too difficult to pronounce correctly.