Exhibition “Black”
Opening: Sun 25 Mar, 5 pm
Exhibition: 25 – 31 Mar 2012
Viet Art Centre
From Project Black:
Project Black holds its first exhibition “BLACK” at the Vietart Centre, 42 Yet Kieu Street from 25th to 31st March. The exhibition shows the works of the five artists featured the last few months in its documentaries at Hanoi Cinematheque: Tran Huu Nhat, Hoang Xuan Son, Tran Chi Thanh, Chu Viet Cuong. Also exhibiting is Project Black Artist leader Nguyen Minh Tan.
What do you do when you are a committed artist but your work is so controversial that no gallery wants to exhibit you but you know you’ve got something important to say? You form a gang and fight. So fellow artist and gang leader Nguyen Minh Tan has gathered us together and fighting under the banner of Project Black, though outcasts of the Vietnamese Art World we are determined to reach out to the wider community and say “Here we are. Reject us or accept us on our own terms. You don’t have to agree with us but at least we can talk.”
| Viet Art Centre 42 Yết Kiêu, Hà Nội T : 04 942 9085 F : 04 942 9084 www.vietartcentre.vn [email protected] | |
Looks great.I’ll definitely be there to see if it meets my expectations. The 3 Project Black documentaries that I’ve seen have been very worthwhile viewing. I hope that The Last Rhino is on show!
‘Project Black’ meets you at exhibition ‘Black’ with the scrunched up invitation/promo print/leaflets pasted at the entry wall in the shape of the letter X (?) and ushers you in with a black veil of a drapery stretching and winding its way across the exhibition space.
It seems that this paraphernalia is designed to set the mood for the visitor to the show of paintings by the six young and up-coming artists — self-described “outcasts of the Vietnamese art world”.
United by holding similar views of rejection of their art by the art galleries, they appear to conflate their personal angst with their social and professional demands, “fighting under the banner of project Black” for acknowledgment, complaining that their work is seen as ‘controversial’.
Already instructed on their struggles, I though that anyone would be looking at their paintings with a somewhat prejudiced eye, but it seems that the artists are relying on this to somehow explain their work to the public, as well as to stir some viewing interest…
Actually… a brief look at their short biographies shows, that these are nationally and internationally exhibiting artists, and…after all, their work is on show right now…