Edited and translated by Tumy Buinguyen.
Amidst all the groans about the current gloomy business environment for artists, the daily activities of contemporary artists were still dynamic in 2011, at least much more than one would have expected. On a weekly basis, events and exhibitions were organized in Vietnam’s cultural centers: Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue.
This flurry of activity in the arts witnessed a noteworthy shift away from the organizing role of foreign cultural institutes such as the Goethe Institute, British Council or L’Espace, France to the private sector. Moreover, local individuals took the initiative and responsibility for bringing contemporary art to the community.
Two emerging trends could be identified at the community exhibitions, which displayed a wide diversity in styles, themes and voices. The first development was the new-found boldness amongst female artists and the second, the emergence of neo-conservatism.
Are you Sick? Artist: Ly Tran Quynh Giang
Fifteen years ago in Vietnam, the pioneer male contemporary artists , by infusing their inner worlds into their works, brought revolution into the plainness and dullness of art. We are now seeing female artists becoming bold enough to include the philosophical notions of Self in the not so subliminal tones and forms of their works - leaving us in no doubt that their work provides a new benchmark in the development of Vietnamese female artists.
In [Are you] sick?, the latest exhibition of narrative nature by Ly Tran Quynh Giang at Vietart Centre, the loneliness silently exuding from the portraits derives from the stormy eyes and bony fingers. In another group of her works, female nude scenes also give obsessively haunting looks. Her inner pain is described in a simple and straightforward manner – not exclusively, unostentatiously, nor rebelliously, but in silent acceptance – without requesting either comfort or sympathy from the viewer.
Neo-conservatism artists who attracted the most attention in 2011 were Duy Minh and Vu Ngoc Vinh. Their art exhibition Space and Time received many positive reviews and was even recognised by some as a milestone in Vietnam’s contemporary art.
The main surrealistic work by Mai Duy Minh was Promised Land, which took him three years to complete. Classically trained, his skill in oil painting is evident. The painting describes the devastating depression of struggling to earn a living through the psychological lens of an artist.
Promised Land by Mai Duy Minh
On gazing at Mai Duy Minh’s work it obvious that he consciously chose to take a neo-conservative stand. Why then did the public who are bombarded with the new, the contemporary, receive it so eagerly? The reason might be that the “new” styles in arrangement and in showcasing are no longer “hot”. Viewers have begun to freely choose to express interest in the artists that they admire, no longer worrying about being criticized as “unprogressive”.
Against a backdrop of performance art, which is often sloppily and superficially executed, the public wanted to see evidence of artistic ability technique and hard work. My guess is that in the near future, we will continue to witness the increasing popularity of this neo-conservatism trend.
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