Bold Strokes – Celebration of Life and Art

Opening: Wed 11 May 2016, 6 pm
Duration: 11 – 31 May 2016
Art Vietnam Gallery

From Art Vietnam Gallery:

As the world is reeling with political fracture, environmental disaster, spiritual confusion, economic and familial breakdown, art holds its unique place as a beacon of awareness and a place of refuge.

Art Vietnam Gallery is pleased to present Bold Strokes, an celebration of what we feel is an expression of the best and brightest evolution of art coming out of Vietnam today.

We are presenting the innovative works of our gallery artists from over the years complimented by the works of some new emerging artists with their imaginative, thought provoking works; The ForeFinger 2015 sculpture by Tran Tuan from Hue recently presented in The Land of Distortion exhibition at the Bildmusset Museum in Sweden, juxtaposed with recent video works, Another Place Across the River 2013-4 by Truong Cong Tung from HCMC and the Bui Cong Khanh Artist in Residence Playhouse Square video from the Cleveland Foundation Creative Fusion Workshop that expose modern day life and the struggle for existence in a rapidly changing world.

We have selected an early video of Gang of Five pioneer and curator Tran Luong, Mao Khe 2001, which depicts the harsh conditions of the coal miners and includes Luong’s notable performance Steamed Rice Man, his classic, timeless video. Bold inscriptions of text in abstract forms figure extensively in this show. In contrast to the calligraphic works of the avant garde Zenei Gang of Five Nom scholars, Nguyen Duc Dung, Tran Trong Duong, Nguyen Quang Thang and Phan Van Tuan, who present the ancient Vietnamese Nom script in a contemporary styling, we have the abstract calligraphic musings of Nguyen Cam Day and Night 2 2008 and the elusive text of the Unsent Letter 2015 series of Le Thua Tien from Hue. Le Quoc Viet, artist, scholar and founder of Zenei presents his series of scrolls, This is what I heard 2008, a combination of painting, woodblock prints, rubbings and calligraphy that exemplify the wide and varied use of text, abstract and concrete. Dang Anh Viet Exploration 04 2012 is a departure from the more classic Chinese ink painting as the artist paints on glass and then prints the paper, letting the flow of water and ink transform and flow freely on the surface.

Nguyen Huu Tram Kha‘s biomorphic work, The Persistent Growth 2015, a wooden incised cut sculpture with imprints of silk exudes a modulating sense of organic femininity while the lacquer sculpted torso, Armor 2014 by Phi Phi Oanh, stands firm, resolute with a sense of strength, purpose and power. Nguyen Manh Hung, The Meeting 2015 and Checkpoint 2014 continues to delight with his sardonic, humorous depictions of a country shifting from an ancient, traditional culture headlong into modern day commercialism. Simon Redington‘s wood cut, Room Seven Satan’s Cage 2003, a reference to the incarcerations of imperialism, reflects the somber past. Scholar, artist Nguyen The Son‘s photo reliefs, Obama Dentist 2012 and Harmony, Autumn Moon, Fresh Wind 2013, depict the rapid transformation of the physical landscape of Hanoi and its social ramifications on the society.

Maritta Nurmi, Birds and Birds 2013, and No Birds 2013, shimmery silver leaf surfaces framed in textiles with images of the leaves of the frangipani trees, commonly found at the entrance of all pagodas, lead us into a contemplation of the world beyond the physical realm. Her Inside, Outside circular disc, and the Inside, Outside, Upside table are common everyday objects elevated to the sublime with their contemplative imagery of the seated Buddha hidden amongst the leaves.
Dinh Y Nhi‘s Joy of Life 2015, perhaps a strident version to some, exemplifies the bold expression of the artist who was the first female practitioner to break with the tradition of accepted feminine norm.

The Beauty VIII 2010 by Ha Tri Hieu is yet another version of femininity, bold and beautiful in its simplicity which contrasts stylistically with Dinh Thi Tham Poong‘s Fish and the Forest, 2015 and yet both works retain the artists’ simplicity and love of the natural expression of life.

Tran Hoang Son and Diep Quy Hai‘s Zodiac lacquer plates depict a time honored tradition for the TET holiday season when artists created zodiac creatures to ring in the new year. Lolo Zazar‘s creations of wooden sculpted Zodiac animals covered in photos of the old walls of Hanoi present a modern, playful twist.

Truong Tan, The Protector 2016, and Black Cloud on the Sky in the Day of Demonstration 2016, one of Vietnam’s leading international artists, lacquer compositions continue the artists dialogue with identity and how to carve out a space in this fractured world.

Nguyen Nghia Cuong‘s Marilyn Visiting the Orient 2010 plays with pop culture meeting Asia with his humorous Happy Buddha crowning Marilyn Monroe, the quintessential symbol of American beauty. Mai Dac Linh‘s The Resplendent Past VIII 2005 references the past Dong Son drum culture with a quiet reverence to Buddhism. Fellow lacquer artist Trinh Quoc Chien also uses Buddhist imagery and cosmic symbols in his work on the three existences, The Past, Present and Future 2014.

How can I join them 2011, a highly accomplished work on silk, another traditional Vietnamese medium used in a modern style by Nguyen Thi Chau Giang is a testimony to the outsider culture that is omnipresent for female artists.Nguyen Minh Thanh‘s Diamonds 2004 is the work of a highly respected artist who has retreated and chosen a solitary, meditative style of life. This is a work concerning destiny and a reflection of what is to come.

The silk scrolls and bronze sculptures of Nguyen Thi Chinh Le are a series of the daily activities of the Zen Buddhist monks. Each silk painting has a visual representation of the figures in silk complimented by a physical representation in bronze, the Yin and Yang of life.

Vu Kim Thu‘s light sculptures composed of Do paper from Vietnam and Washi paper from Japan are covered with miniature drawings that the artists weaves into her light constructions.

In Miniature of Space #7, #41 and #15, 2013 the artist experiments in the new form of light sculpture. She delves deeper than just the material itself and incorporates it into a dwelling in daily life.
Buddhist scholar and art critic Phan Cam Thuong’s Beside the flowing river 2002 is a classic work that uses the ancient woodblock print but with his signature flowing brush style.Teacher to many of the artists presented in this show, Thuong now spends most of his time on research and critical writing on Vietnamese art.

The Dream 2015, a selection of the parts of the Honda Dream motorcycle, was created in marble with the help of local Vietnamese craftsmen from Danang by Spanish artist Jorge Rivera. Each motorcycle part is juxtaposed on a pedestal symbolizing icons of ancient Vietnamese culture.

Dinh Cong Dat, Hanoi Sculptor, creates all manner of playful creatures and statues out of fiberglass then painted with lacquer. His iconic Schoolboys, Schoolgirls, Standing Buddhas and Sitting Buddhas are representative of a playful interpretation of tradition into modernity. Black and white photographs of the 54 ethnic minorities by Sebastien Laval from the early 1990’s have given way to the photographer’s latest body of work, Hanoi 18h/6h, Hue 18h/6h. These works, all taken from 6pm until 6am with no artificial light possess a ghostly, painterly atmosphere that draws the viewer into a magical, mysterious world.

On the cusp on the American presidential visit to Vietnam in late May, the gallery would also like to highlight the artistic exchange of artists from America to Vietnam that has contributed to the healing of the wounds of the past through the beauty of the spirit. David Thomas, artist and founder of the Indochina Arts Partnership in Boston, has brought over 100 artists from Vietnam for residencies in the US and presented numerous exhibitions in his effort to expose Vietnamese art. His Jesus Buddha 2/5 2011 is a reflection of the man himself with one half of his existence in the West and one half in the East.

In 2015 Mark Cooper spent extensive time in Vietnam in a workshop at the Muong Museum in Hoa Binh making collaborative works of art with several Vietnamese artists that were presented in the Muong Museum in Hoa Binh, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and the Vietnam Fine Arts University in Hanoi. His amorphic ceramics reflect the dynamism of his country tempered by the grace and dignity of the East.
Donald Damask, a fine printmaker from New York, came to Vietnam in 2005. Fascinated with the tactile nature of the traditional handmade Do paper, he created a series of works, Blood, Sweat and Tears, that project his anguish and sorrow over the tragedy of war.

Catherine Karnow has a long legacy in Vietnam. Her father, Stanley Karnow, a journalist and writer, is the highly respected author of the seminal book and Emmy award winning documentary on the country, Vietnam: a History.

Catherine’s first visited Vietnam in 1990 and immersed herself in the life and the culture of the Vietnamese. Her photographs reflect the unique perspective of the consummate insider and are evocative of a country opening its arms to the international world. The Barber 2014 is a timeless piece, a bit of nostalgia tempered with contemporary society.

This wide array of superlative works are a small representation of a dynamic country on the move. They are by no means all that Vietnam has to offer, they are but a small part. We would like to honor all of the artists of Vietnam who have contributed so much to the global understanding of a very unique and dynamic country.

Art Vietnam Gallery 2nd floor, 24 Ly Quoc Su Str, Hanoi Opening from Monday to Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm Tel: +84-4-3928 5190 Email: [email protected] Website: www.artvietnamgallery.com