[TGS – Introducing Artists] Bùi Quốc Khánh & Đào Tân
The Grapevine Selection, was initiated by Hanoi Grapevine’s founder – artist Brian Ring exactly 10 years ago in 2013. The exhibition series The Grapevine Selection is an initiative within Hanoi Grapevine’s mission plan, which is to promote Vietnam’s arts and culture at home and abroad.
The Grapevine Selection 2023 is a bold experiment when placing contemporary works of outstanding artists, from painting and sculpture to installation in a space rich in cultural heritage such as the Temple of Literature – Quoc Tu Giam to a modern high-end industrial space like Audi Charging Lounge. Hanoi Grapevine hopes that the change in space will not reduce the audience’s experience of enjoying art, but will resonate with works of unique beauty, increasing the sensory experiences by cross-linking exhibition spaces and themes, a trend that will explode in Vietnam in the future.
The Grapevine Selection 2023 selected 53 artworks from 16 artists from the following areas of art practices: Painting, Sculpture and Installation with consultation from the Art Advisory Board.
Artist Bùi Quốc Khánh
Bùi Quốc Khánh was born in 1983 and graduated with a Master’s from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 2017. Bùi Quốc Khánh left many impressions with group exhibitions and solo exhibitions. Quốc Khánh’s paintings convey social messages. Some of the exhibitions Quốc Khánh has participated in include the Contemporary art group exhibition “Vietnam – Thailand” at 29 Hang Bai, Hanoi (2014), Exhibition “Mountain Star” in Tainan, Taiwan (2015), Contemporary Vietnamese Art Exhibition “Bareland” at Cultural Center of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan (2015), Solo exhibition “A round trip” at 29 Hang Bai (2018), Solo exhibition “Long lasting dreams” at Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA), Hanoi (2019), Duo exhibition “Loong Koong” at Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA), Hanoi (2021). Artworks of Bùi Quốc Khánh use the pop-art style visual language and graphic resonance, presenting a colorful space. Bui Quoc Khanh’s works are collected at Taiwan Chinh Quan Art Center, Fonya Gallery (Taiwan), Cheng To Auction House (China),…
Participating in The Grapevine Selection this time, Bui Quoc Khanh switched to ceramic material with a different, soaring, artistic expression and strange compositions, interference of many elements: folk – contemporary – the times. The “painting” quality in ceramics is only a small part as each work exudes a different visual art style, going beyond the usual ceramic crafting technique. The “artist” element was pushed to the peak by Bui Quoc Khanh through each line, detail, with all the difficulty of pottery such as laminating, clawing, molding, carving, squeezing, rotating, trimming, cutting, gluing… full of sophistication and ingenuity. The artist wants to integrate, bring in the images or elements of Vietnamese folklore into his works because “many contemporary artists and painters’ works are difficult to tell whether they belong to a certain culture or regions or territory, but there are also artists whose works can immediately tell you about their cultural background, their origin, or that they are creating art about a certain culture. I’m trying to assert myself as a painter and artist from Vietnam.”
Artist Đào Tân
Đào Tân, known as Đào Đình Tân, was born in 1991 and graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture, Vietnam University of Fine Arts. Đào Tân’s works express the struggle of artists facing the issues of contemporary life: the worries of homogeneity and globalization regarding human labor as a commodity. Đào Tân participated in various exhibitions, including the Vietnam University of Fine Arts school exhibition (2013), the Young Artist club symposium (2014 & 2015), “Mỹ thuật trẻ” Festival (2017), “Tranh lụa và Điêu khắc nhỏ” at VCCA (2018), “Hành trình nghệ thuật” at Pan Pacific Hà Nội (2019), the Ceramic Art Space at Bat Trang village (2019), “Art In the Forest” at Flamingo Đại Lải (2019), “Xem Voi” with the Hanoi Group of Independent Young Artists (2020), “Biến cố” exhibition at Vicas Art Studio (2021), and “Transforming” exhibition at Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) (2021). In 2022, Đào Tân participated in “Ha Noi Art Connecting 5” at VCCA và the 7th of Saigon- Hanoi Sculpture exhibition.
About series 20year30year50year/minute
While some are only within the moments, others remain with us afterward. Time encompasses everything, but it goes by so fast that it makes us startle every time we look back. Sometimes, suddenly, we feel a familiar moment deep in our minds that seems to have been forgotten. It can be happiness, sadness, nostalgia… The time and space of yesterday have been lost; today’s are vanishing; then tomorrow’s..?
Thinking about the past is not immersing us in it but appreciating the present.
* Photo credits: Mắt Bét, Nguyễn Đức Thục, Trần Thảo Miên
