Artist uses his ‘Hands' to question status quo

Hands, a solo exhibition by Pham Huy Thong, a Ha Noi-based visual artist whose works have been described as political and social commentary, will open tomorrow at the Craig Thomas Gallery in HCM City.

Thong was born in 1981 to journalist parents who often hosted gatherings that discussed social and political issues of the day, influencing his decision to engage with social and political issues in his art.

In the latest exhibition, with the aim of making his subjects universal, anonymous, beings without individuality or nationality, Thong replaces their faces with hands.

Thong's Hands have the capacity to express a range of emotions – anger, power, fear, happiness – and meaning through the symbols and gestures.

The Hands allow Thong to take on issues of globalisation, Westernisation, consumerism, development aid, and the current dispute between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours over island territories in the East Sea.

"Thong's paintings are rife with symbolism and his multi-layered messages are not immediately discernible. Much is left to the engaged viewer to analyse and understand for himself. Thong is commenting on events and informing while also challenging the viewer to question the status quo," says a gallery press release.

Thong has exhibited extensively at home and abroad. His works have been collected by art collectors like the Witness Collection of Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese Art and the Rimbun Dahan Collection in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The exhibition will remain open until November 13.

The Craig Thomas Gallery is located at 27 Tran Nhat Duat Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, HCM City

Giang My as Next Iron Chef judge

Miss Hung Temple Giang My has been choosen as a jury member of The Next Iron Chef, a Vietnamese cooking programme based on Japan’s Iron Chef show.

With the idea of embracing food and tourism, the organizing board has selected Mui Ne beach in Phan Thiet city in the southeastern province of Binh Thuan as a place for competition.

The final night will be held on Bau Trang sand hill.

The program is sort of a culinary game show involving 10 professional cooks in eight weeks. Each episode will see a challenger chef competing against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a one-hour cooking competition based on a theme ingredient.

Two main judges are Chef Duong Huy Khai and Chef David Thai.

While Chef Norbert Ehrbar, Miss Hung Temple Giang My, Miss Sport Kim Oanh and businessman Duong Quoc Nam will take turns being the third judge of each episode.

The show will be broadcast on VTV3 channel at 11am every Sunday from November 18.

Ha Noi hosts classic guitar competition

First Ha Noi Open Classical Guitar Competition will begin on Monday with thirty-two contestant set to participate at the event.

The competition is open to the public and aims to give contestants a chance to showcase their performing skills as well as their knowledge of classical music.

There will be three age categories for contestants under 13 years of age; from 13 to 16 and from 17 to 30 year olds.
Six contestants from the categories will be chosen to enter the final rounds on October 26 and 27.

In the final rounds, contestants under the age of 13 will play a piece by Fernando Carulli, while the 13-16 group will be required to play a piece by Fernando Sor.

A piece by Agustin Barrios will be performed by the oldest age group. Additionally, the contestants will perform two pieces chosen by themselves in the final round.

"The first classical guitar competition is held by the Viet Nam Academy of Music (VNAM) to review training of guitar players in Viet Nam to help upgrade teaching methods," said artist Luu Quang Minh from the VNAM.

"It also aims to discover new Vietnamese talent in this area," he said.

Minh heads a seven-member jury board including Australian guitarist Slava Grigoryan and Italian musician Ermanno Bottiglieri.

Grigoryan has won major prizes at international classical guitar competitions and has played with leading orchestras and legendary jazz guitarists.

"He will ensure the quality and high standards of the competition," said Australian's representative at the press conference in Ha Noi.

During his time in Ha Noi, Grigoryan will also play with visually impaired students from the Nguyen Dinh Chieu School, proving that music knows no boundaries.

A concert will be performed by members of the judging panel at the VNAM's hall to provide a chance for guitar students and contestants to learn from the experts.

Vietnam-Bulgaria plan for cultural events in 2013

Vietnam and Bulgaria will organize a wide range of many culture activities next year.

This was confirmed at a meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and Bulgarian Minister of Finance Simeon Djankov in Hanoi on October 18.

The most prominent events will be Vietnam culture week in Bulgaria and Bulgaria culture week in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese minister said from now until the end of this year, Vietnam will invite Bulgaria to participate in two international-scale events: film and circus festivals.

During Vietnam culture week in Bulgaria, there will be a film show, traditional art performances, a literature forum, and an exhibition on Vietnamese pottery.

The Bulgarian Minister expressed admiration for Vietnam’s 13 world-recognized heritage sites and hope that Bulgaria will have their photographs, drawings and other typical objects displayed at national exhibitions or museums.

Old Cham walls found under tower

Two ancient walls were recently excavated underneath the Cham Po Dam Tower complex in the central province of Binh Thuan's Tuy Phong District.

The walls were discovered by local workers reinforcing the foundation of the tower.

Located on the east side of the complex, the 190cm-high and 65cm-thick walls are spaced 2.5m apart. Many neat layers of bricks were also found between the walls, allegedly the remains of a staircase to a collapsed tower.

Nguyen Xuan Ly, director of the Binh Thuan Museum, said the walls dated back to the late 8th century – the same time as the Po Dam Tower.

"The walls also have the same building style and mysterious mortar as the Po Dam Tower has," Ly said.

A group of scientists from the Viet Nam Institute of Archaeology is conducting field work at the site.

"The discovery of the walls brings archaeologists new knowledge about the Po Dam tower as well as about ancient Cham architecture in general," he said.

Po Dam is the oldest of the Cham towers in the central region.

Bring Your Music brings cheer

The Bring Your Music to the Hospital programme and the Sala Club, a group of doctors and journalists who perform free surgeries, brought come cheer to patients at Hoa Binh Province's General Hospital today.

The first time the music programme, which usually operates in Ha Noi and HCM City, has travelled to another province.

The show features performances by popular singers, including Thai Thuy Linh, Bach Nguyen, Minh Thu and Khuc Xuan Thuan, and magician Tran Binh.

Meritorious artist Thanh Hoa also participates in the programme, which is in its 24th edition.

During the performance, the singers also conduct a session in Laughter Yoga with the patients.

A charity box is placed on the stage to collect donations from the public for the hospital's poor patients.

With its mission, "We do not perform; we bring music to the hospital to exchange, smiles, which are rare here", the programme is organised by the Health Ministry's Youth Union, the Young Artist and MC Association, O2 TV channel, NSN Communication and Entertainment Company, and the Sala Club.

VNN/VOV/VNS