Self-portrait contest wraps up in HCMC

The 2011 Dogma Prize in Self Portraiture, the first self-portrait contest organized in Vietnam, announced its winners on Tuesday in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sponsored by Dogma Collection, a private art collection and organization holding the largest body of original Vietnamese propaganda art, the contest attracted 230 works from all over the country.

33 pieces of all art forms from videos, photographs to paintings on various materials made their way to the final round.

Nguyen Van Cuong from Hanoi won the VND 100 million (US$ 4,900) first price and 6 other artists from Hanoi, Lam Dong and HCMC received special prizes.

Dominic Scriven, founder of the Dogma Collection and CEO of investment company Dragon Capital, said he has been impressed by Vietnamese arts since he started living in the country during the1990s.

Dominic said in a fast developing country like Vietnam, it is interesting to see how artists see themselves in different mediums and on different materials.

The prize-winning artworks, together with other finalists will be exhibited at the HCMC Museum of Fine Arts until July 30.

Melodies of Love to enchant HCMC public

Melodies of Love by the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will take place at the HCMC Opera House in District 1 on Tuesday and will feature music from famous operas and ballet suite Monsoons.

The show is in two parts. Part one will see extracts from famous chamber music works of operas such as Brindisi and Un di felice from La Traviata by Verdi, Sull’aria…che soave zeffiretto from The Marriage of Figaro, Papageno, Papagena from The Magic Flute, La ci darem la mano from Don Giovani by Mozart, Una voce poco fa, Dunque io son and Finale from The Barber of Seville by Rossini, Che gelida manina, Si, mi chiamano Mimi and O soave fanciulla from La Bohème by Puccini.

Part 2 is the ballet suite Monsoons performance which was a great success earlier this year. It is choreographed and directed by the People’s Artist Ha The Dung, dead master of HCMC Dance School and assistant choreographers Nguyen Phuc Hung, Nguyen Phuc Hai and Phan Thi Hong Chau.

After his study as a classical dancer, Dung turned to contemporary dance, following Regine Chopinot training courses. As a bright prospect, he was then invited to perfect his art at the Atlantique-Regine Chopinot Ballet, where he obtained a national teaching diploma. He participated in several events choreographed by Regine Chopinot at the Hue 2002 and 2004 festivals.

He is now the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City School of Dance.
Tickets are priced at VND250,000, VND150,000 and VND60,000 for students and are available at the opera house, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1 and at HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera, 3 Phan Van Dat, District 1.

Korean buyer to inherit Megastar’s lawsuit

Korea’s top cinema operator CJ-CVG would inherit Megastar’s ongoing legal problem after picking up a 92 percent share in Vietnam’s largest cinema chain, an official at the Competition Administration Department said Tuesday.

CJ-CVG recently announced it would pay US$73.6 million for the stake in MegaStar, Vietnam’s leading film distributor which has total assets of $38 million and rakes in 60 percent of box office revenues in the country.

Last year MegaStar had been sued by six companies, including the ambitious Galaxy cinema chain, who claimed it abused its dominant position to impose minimum ticket prices and other distribution conditions.

The acquisition was legally possible though the new owner would also inherit the lawsuit, the official said.

The investigation began in May.

Huge art exhibition to hit Hanoi

An exhibition of diversified art forms, entitled “Big – a Hand’s Span,” will be open from July 7 to 20 at Hanoi’s OM-Studio.

The show will present painting, sculpture, belly dance, music and video art created by award-winning local artists, including Nguyen Hong Phuong Nguyen Xuan Hoang, Truong Art.

In addition, Virginie, a special artist from Belgium, will also participate in the exhibition, which will take place at OM-Studio, Cang Cong Thon, Yen Vien town, Gia Lam, Hanoi.

Developing cultural industries in Vietnam

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in coordination with the Danish Embassy and the British Council held a seminar in Hanoi on July 13 to devise a development strategy for the cultural industries in Vietnam.

Present at the seminar were representatives from the cultural organisations and arts and communication associations, cultural researchers and businesses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

MCST Deputy Minister Ho Anh Tuan said the seminar helps managers and law makers at both local and central levels to discuss practical and theoretical issues of the cultural industries, especially cinematography, performing arts, fine arts and photography in Vietnam as well as devising measures to support these sectors.

During the two-day seminar, delegates heard reports on the condition of the cinematography, performing arts, fine arts and photography sectors and discussed other issues related to intellectual property rights and the creative industry.

Hoa Lo prison’s historical, cultural values promoted

The Management Board of the Hoa Lo prison historical site said it is actively popularising cultural and historical values of the prison to visitors in the city and the country.

Head of the Management Board Nguyen Thi Hien said that the board has focused on exhibits on the life of revolutionary soldiers who were held at Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi under the French occupation, trying to find those still alive among almost 2,000 former prisoners in order to collect more documents and objects.

An exhibition section on the life of US pilots taken prisoner attracts attention of visitors, especially those from the US, Europe and Asia.

The board organises knowledge contests on the prison’s history for students and pupils in Hanoi as well as meetings with historical witnesses every year.

Hoa Lo prison was built in Hanoi by the French colonialists in 1896. The relic site receives more than 100,000 visitors each year, 70 percent of whom are foreigners./.

VN chamber music group wins favour in Thailand

A concert themed “A Romantic Evening of Piano Quintet”, performed by Vietnam’s Song Hong chamber music group, won warm acclaim of an audience of hundreds of Thais and foreigners in the capital city of Bangkok on July 11.

In traditional costomes, the group performed pieces of music composed by two famous German artists, Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann.

Pham Truong Son, Head of the group said that Song Hong was established two years ago and this is its first ever performance in a foreign country.

Four members of the group are four teachers of the Vietnam National Academy of Music and one is a member of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. They were invited to serve as judges at the international Mozart music competition for stringed instruments, held in Bangkok on July 11-14.

Two Vietnamese students entered the final of this competition, namely Nguyen Minh Thuy, born in 1992 and Dang Viet Ha, born in 1988.

PV