Tu Duyen was born in 1915 in Bac Ninh Province and graduated from the Indochina Fine Arts College in 1938. He became a member of the Vietnam Association of Fine Arts.

He was renowned for his works based on the folk poems Chinh Phu Ngam, Truyen Kieu and UNESCO cultural heritage sites of Hoi An, My Son and Hue Citadel that were displayed in Vietnam, France and Ireland.

Tu Duyen once said the course provided a good opportunity to learn from international artists and complete his dream of “making journeys into the past” to create paintings based on the country’s heritage.

Since 1939 the painter lived in Ho Chi Minh City and achieved much success in his art career.

In 1942, Tu Duyen successful made a production of the first hand-stamping on silk that was regarded as a breakthrough in the art of painting.

In the 1950′s, the “hand-stamping on silk” by Tu Duyen was recognised nationwide.

In 1955, his painting “Tran Binh Trong” won the first Fine Arts Prize in southern Vietnam.

In October1998, he travelled to Italy, France and Germany and organised a Group exhibition in Brussels, held by the European Committee, with funds and contributions of US$1 million from European organisations and individuals.

He made public nine collections of paintings and 52 wood-engravings. His works appeared in various museums at home and abroad and also in the private collections of US billionaire Rockefeller and Cambodian Royal King Sihanouk.

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From the organizer:
MTV EXIT(End Exploitation and Trafficking) warmly invites you to attend the exclusive opening of the MTV EXIT Human Trafficking Art Exhibition.

This dynamic and interactive exhibition uses the talents of leading Vietnamese artists to communicate important messages about the issue of human trafficking in Vietnam. The MTV EXIT Human Trafficking Art Exhibition will showcase 3 internationally recognized artists: Phan Y Ly (Interactive performance art), Doan Hoang Kien (Installation) and Na Son (Photography). It will also include a screening of MTV EXIT’s Vietnamese documentary ‘ENSLAVED’.

Please contact Truong Uyen Ly, Creative Coordinator, (Lytruonguyen@gmail.com) if you need more information and to RSVP to this event.

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The exhibition will open tomorrow in Song Tu Tay Island then it will be moved to Truong Sa Lon ( Spratly) and Floating Complex DK 1. After that all entries will be given to the people and soldiers in Spratly Archipelago.

Entitled Letters to Spratly islands from Home, the exhibition helps narrow the distance between the island and the mainland and send love from one to the other.

A group of photojournalists from Vietnam News Agency travelled to five cities and provinces to capture images of soldiers’ families in 100 photos to display at the exhibition.

When the soldiers undertake the task of guarding the water and island territory, they are forced to be absent from their homes for many years. “We hope that through the photos, the soldiers will feel they are close to their families,” said photographer Bui Hong Thang.

The exhibition also displays 80 photos revealing the country’s landscape, custom, culture and contemporary development of the society.

Organised by the Vietnam News Agency and the Naval High Command, the exhibition is aimed to enrich the spiritual life of the soldiers, encourage them in their assignment and affirm the country’s sovereignty through a cultural activity.

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Opening: Fri 18 May, 5 pm
Exhibition: 18 – 25 May 2012
New Space Arts Foundation, Hue
2nd Floor, 15 Le Loi Street, Hue City

From New Space Arts Foundation:

You are invited to fine art group exhibition ”K31 – New Faces”.

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Painting, sculpture and photographic submissions will be taken until August 7 and winners will be announced on September 14.

The prize is organized by the Mekong Artists Company and sponsored by arts collector Dominic Scriven, sponsor of Dogma Collection and Dogma Prize.

The prize will be judged by Ma Thanh Cao, director of the HCM City Fine Arts Museum; artist and art critic Pham Thi Nhu Quynh, owner of the HCM City-based Galerie Quynh; and Italian artist Richard San Marzano, curator of the Dogma Collection.

“We want to inspire Vietnamese artists to make themselves the subject in their paintings,” said Marzano.

Fellow jury-member Cao said the prize would contribute to encouraging self-portraiture works in Vietnam.

Artists aged 18 and above who are living in Vietnam can send their submissions to www.dogmaprize.vn.

The curatorial panel will grant three special recognition prizes of VND15 million (US$750) to each artist selected from the finalists.

The top self-portraits in the competition will be included in the upcoming exhibition Vietnamese Self-Portraits at the HCM City Fine Arts Museum in September.

Last year, the annual Dogma Prize received more than 230 submissions from artists across the country, with first prize given to Hanoi-based painter Nguyen Van Cuong.

VNS/VOV online

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From Arno Baude:
You are invited to an exhibition Banh My Hawaii Tasting Arno Baude Retrospection 2005-2012. Art installation, happening …and the most important…INTERACTION!

Taste a Hawaiian toast in Vietnamese style. Dress code: Hawaiian shirt. Wear an hawaiian shirt (or similar)/ get one Piña Colada for free.

(If you’ve always wanted to buy a Hawaiian shirt in Hanoi and did not know where: shop around 17 Trần Phú, Ba Dinh District. Price: 180.000vnd)

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More than 200 documents, artifacts and films related to President Ho Chi Minh’s life are showcased at the exhibition in Hanoi.
The event also contributes to the implementation of the Party Central Committee 4th Plenum, 11th tenure Resolution on ‘Current Urgent Issues in Party Building”.

The exhibition introduces visitors to the great achievements of late President Ho Chi Minh, who was the founder and leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam, as well as his views on Party building and rectification.

In addition, the exhibition showcases Vietnam’s achievements in Party building and rectification work to make the Party pure, strong and worthy of being ‘a leader and a servant of the people’.

On the same day, the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Gia Lai province also held an exhibition with the same theme, as a part of activities to celebrate the late President’s birthday and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Gia Lai province.

Nearly 150 photos and documents are on display and have been arranged by three main themes, ‘President Ho Chi Minh – Founder of Vietnamese Communist Party’, ‘President Ho Chi Minh and Party Building and Rectification’ and ‘Vietnamese Communist Party and Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee – Party Building and Rectification in line with Ho Chi Minh’s thought’.

The exhibition will also contribute to promoting and encouraging people from all strata to promote Party building work, improve
the leadership capacity of the Party and prevent degradation in the political ideology, ethics and lifestyle of Party members. The exhibition will run until May 25.

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The exhibition contains more than 2,000 publications, including articles written by Uncle Ho when he lived and worked at the safe zone, writings honouring the President by Vietnamese and international scholars, submissions to the ‘Study and Follow President Ho Chi Minh’s Moral Example’ campaign, as well as writings on Party and State leaders and acclaimed army commanders.

The exhibition also focuses on the land and people of Thai Nguyen province, agriculture, farmers and rural areas and includes entries responding to the ‘The whole country joins hands to build a new rural lifestyle’ movement.

The exhibition provides readers, writers and researchers with treasured documents on the value of the country’s revolutionary movement, national traditions and the President’s ideology.

The exhibition will run until May 20.

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Although the profession dates back dozens of years ago, few people are aware of its existence, even locals.

“Many people are surprised to find that artful sculptures could be made from the crispy, fragile black coal,” said Nguyen Thanh Binh, Quyet’s wife and coal sculptor.

She added that the profession could only be found in Quang Ninh Province where there was a large concentration of coal.
Sculpting the black rocks into works of art, indeed, does not seem a simple job.

Unlike other handicraft professions such as rattan weaving or embroidery, coal sculptures must be hand processed without the use of any machinery, due to the fragile nature of the material.

In the hands of skilful artists, rough rocks can be transformed into shining sculptures in the shapes of various objects from animals, flowers to famous people.

However, the most produced and popular souvenirs are famous tourism icons from well-known Ha Long Bay, such as the kissing rocks or the sailing boats.

Phan Thi Cong, owner of the Dac Cong black coal fine arts shop in the province, said half of her customers looked for art products from black rocks.

“My customers are interested in these products as they are beautiful, unique and completely handmade,” she said.
Quyet’s factory currently has only three sculptors, including himself, his wife and a worker.

Four years ago, he and his wife set up a company with a shop of its own, hoping to make good business of the distinctive profession.

The company used to have eight employees and display their products in many exhibitions in the country and China.

The business, however, received very little support from local authorities and the company dissolved due to a lack of funding and an effective promotion plan.

“We sent letters asking for assistance to many places, but did not receive any positive response, except from the Women’s Union who offered a loan of only VND3 million (US$143),” Binh said.

Now, with the souvenir factory based in their own home, the couple manages to take care of their family thanks to the orders from regular customers, which are mostly tourism companies and souvenir shops, but their ambition to develop the profession seems to have faded away.

“With so little potential, many people left the profession, and there are now only 5-6 people still doing this,” she noted.

Binh said foreign customers sometimes came to their factory to order sculptures in large numbers, but they could seldom take the order due to the lack of materials and human resources.

Nguyen Tam Nham, a veteran coal sculptor, holds the same opinion.

“Little attention is paid to the development of handicrafts in Viet Nam,” he said.

Nham added that local authorities could only go as far as offering locations for exhibitions, and there was no hope for long-term assistance and financial support.

“There is no one responsible for orienting or managing the profession or for promoting the business for export purposes.

Viet Nam News contacted the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Planning and Investment of Quang Ninh Province, but they refused to claim responsibility towards the profession and failed to name any assistance plan.

Luu Duy Dan, chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages, said that coal sculpture was an interesting and distinctive profession and that there should be a village specialising in making such works, especially in a tourism area like Quang Ninh Province.

He added, however, that due to the Government’s limited budget, there was no financial support for the profession.

“It doesn’t seem there is a future for this profession,” said Quyet in a matter-of-fact tone.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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Whenever somebody mentions contemporary Vietnamese art, there are a few names that spring to the mind right away. Of these, among the very first ones that come to mind, is Bui Huu Hung. Undoubtedly, Bui Huu Hung is one of the most popular artists to have emerged from the Vietnamese art scene in recent times. Born in 1957, Bui Huu Hung hails from Hanoi, Vietnam. Bui Huu Hung works in the traditional medium of lacquer. It is the same medium that has produced some of the finest specimens of Vietnamese art. His lacquer works on conventional wood surfaces and nontraditional canvas are like the new Hanoi; while steeped moncler vest in tradition they are painted in a thoroughly modern context. Bui Huu Hung’s art is a splendid example of traditional moncler vest magnificence mixed with a modern sensibility.

Bui Huu graduated from the Hanoi Fine Arts University. Besides many conventional styles of painting, he also studied lacquer painting. Since 1975, he involved himself with this parti.lar mode by learning from other accomplished lacquer artists at traditional lacquer workshops. Today, he is a Member of the Vietnam Fine Art Association and has been a moncler vest member of the International Association of Lacquer Painters since 1996.

In an article published in the Heritage Magazine in August 1998, an eminent art critic once said, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, Bui Huu Hung’s haunting paintings tell a hundred stories.” Today, Bui Huu’s paintings can be seen at some of the finest galleries around the world, including Eastern Fine Arts Museum of USSR, Singapore Art Museum and Museum of Sydney. Bui Huu has a long string of private and collective exhibitions behind him. Some of the more important ones include: Exhibition of Lacquer Painting, in Vasava, Poland in 1982; Western Exhibition in Sophia, Bulgaria in 1983; “Art Spring”, Alliance Francais in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1993; “Lacquer International”, Fijiita Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan in 1996; “The Sacred Season”, exhibition with Nguyen Tu Nghiem at Notices Gallery, Singapore in 1997; “Past – Present”, Maison des Arts Europe Asie, Paris, France in 1997; “With Heart and Soul and Mind”, New World Art Center, New York, USA in 1998.

After years of a rather provincial existence, moncler vest Vietnamese fine art is finally coming out of the closet to present itself in its full glory before a wider audience. The growth of interest and the rise in popular enthusiasm about Vietnamese fine art have been truly phenomenal in the past few years. The last decade, especially, has witnessed a dramatic growth in the number of people world-wide taking an enormous deal of interest in Vietnamese fine art. It is safe to .ume now that Vietnamese fine art has finally come of age. Bui Huu Hung moncler vest is among the names which have become an integral part of this surge of interest.

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