calendario eventi  :: 

X

10/11/2008

Vietnam: the hidden Charm

SG Private Banking Gallery, Alliance Francaise de Singapour, Singapore

Transition is at the heart of this exhibition that features more than 40 art works created by 8 Vietnamese artists. Transition can be more or less progressive or brutal. Transition happens between generations, between painting and photography, between abstract and figurative. But this transition can also occur where none expects it, in total freedom. Lotus Gallery led by Madame Xuan Phuong introduces us to her vision of Vietnamese art, an art in transition, by these artists, between generations and disciplines.

“Spring” & “Summer” Albums
Hoang The Nhiem, one of the most renowned Vietnamese photographers, introduces picture collected in the albums of “Spring” and “Summer” in his “The call of Four Seasons” series with a hidden story; he describes as, “A bitter sweet story of emotion, fragile beauty and sometimes, danger”.

The story of emotion manifested over 10 years back - for every Tet celebration approaching, Nhiem is compelled to seek for the images of Spring. Thus till now, thousands of photos were taken, and nonetheless one of his favourite, “The Clouds of Sapa”, is his first love. The picture appeared almost unreal, mesmerising and mysterious, which is the reason behind his story of emotion he feels in this picture – “Just like in a bedtime story from my childhood”. The story of “Clouds of Sapa”, that was chosen as the introduction to his book “Spring”, begun as he saw tiny sun rays piercing miraculously through the mountains, illuminating the milky fog that suspends on the top of secular pine trees, as clouds like cotton were caressing the rocks.

The story of fragile beauty is described as “tropical snow”, where the plum trees of Bac Ha glow with immaculate white upon the soft sunbeams which rarely heats up in the first days after winter in the highlands. Nhiem stays less than five days in the dreamlike landscape, which its beauty fragilely fades over time, and leaves for his reunion supper with his family on the midnight before Lunar New Year. To capture beauty can take an artist tens of years of relentless work and facing enormous danger, like to reach the mountainous region of Ha Giang, called the stone Highlands, that is covered with heavy fog and sharp “the cat’s ear” stones. Hoang The Nhiem, a 48 year-old photographer, started his career with a disruption. He was working as a telecommunications engineer but quitted his job to for his love for photography. Today, his photos collection, “The call of the four seasons” depicts the “imperceptible noise” between the seasons, these transitions period when nature changes, wakes up or falls asleep, shines or covers its landscapes with clouds. In his first volume “Spring”, he shows us this period in time when earth and sky start combining their colours, in an ever changing weather, and their perfumes, like in North Vietnam when cherry flowers blossom in the wind. His photos reflects his infinite joy when he can capture these shortlived moments and also his sadness to leave a place that was about to reveal its secrets.

Featuring Old and New Generations of Vietnamese Artists
Young 27 year-old painter Ms Phan Linh Bao Hanh displays figurative paintings, close to the late 19th century Primitivism in France. Her standing still women give us a static vision of movement. But under their apparent naïve face, their intense eyes describe the unresting soul of Vietnamese women. This surprisingly young but talented painter depicts an unsettling theme in one work: a woman standing in a cactus field reflecting the ambiguous perception of Vietnamese women character, gentle but also adamant.

Le Ngoc Tuong, 39 year-old, professor of Fine Arts University of Hue, talks less about ambiguity than disruption. Disruption in both his personal and artistic life. His mind is thus set free and can venture out of his own beaten tracks. He used to paint dark shade still-lifes, and subsequently moved into a smooth transition towards a semi-obscured atmosphere in his paintings. Today, his works display large white bright spaces, where he discreetly shows his joy to be free at last. As the layers of paint get thicker, they also become the centerpiece of the painting. But he also gives us clues of his disrupted life, like a footprint, a reminiscence of the past, through, for instance, a gaping hole in a white brick wall. We can only guess that beyond this hole may lay the unrest and the past that he was trying to cover under immaculate thick layers of white.

Nguyen Quang, who passed away in 2001, shows his inner world in a minimalistic way as he was getting older. The themes he chose were typically Vietnamese and sublimated by his attachment to the country, its people and its culture. His memories intertwine with reality, combining shapes, nostalgic pastel colors, talking about his vision and interpretation of these much beloved landscapes.

About Lotus gallery
The Lotus Gallery was created in 1991 by Madame Xuan Phuong. The Gallery aims to promote Vietnamese artists locally and more intensively overseas. Madame Xuan Phuong says, “I searched for the best way to display the works of totally unknown artists. It seemed unfair to me that they should be condemned to anonymity for their entire lives. It was during a stay in Paris that the occasion presented itself. Thanks to some French friends, I was able to organise the first exhibition of Vietnamese artists in a gallery belonging to the city hall in the first district, 4 place du Louvre in November 1991. This exhibition, made up of only six paintings on silk-paper, on paper and on lacquerware was highly successful. When I returned to Vietnam, this induced me to open my first gallery”.

Today, the Lotus Gallery gathers over 7,000 paintings from Vietnamese artists. Madame Xuan Phuong works tirelessly to promote Vietnamese art to demanding audiences in countries such as France, Switzerland, Japan, the Usa or Singapore. “Being a director of an art gallery, Madame Xuan Phuong says that it is a profession where one takes risks, where one sometimes acts on impulse, even if the artist is totally unknown.”

The selection of Madame Xuan Phuong reflects the recent rebirth of Vietnamese art. “For the last fifteen years or so, we are witnessing an absolute flourishing of talented artists. In painting, there is a true liberation. The artists are using different materials. There is a searching, a birth and liberation of form. Suffering, joy and nudity are now undergoing an interpretation far from the figurative and that is a real revolution.

SG Private Banking Gallery
Alliance Française de Singapour
1 Sarkies Road, Level 2, Singapore
Mon to Fri, 11am to 7pm;
Sat, 11am to 5pm;
Sun, 2 – 7pm
Admission is free

stampa

permanent link