Farmers, fishers reflected in oil

The daily lives of farmers and fishermen is the major theme of 21 surrealist paintings of Nha Trang-based artist Ty now on display at the Tu Do Gallery.

The exhibition, called "Ty", showcases 21 oil on canvas paintings done by the artist from 2006-12.

Ty, whose real name is Nguyen Hoang Minh, uses simplified images and colours of red, brown and yellow to draw people, animals and objects.

The works express several moods and feelings like sincerity in Cau Ngu (Praying for Pumper Catch) ceremony that shows fishermen praying in front of oil lamps and a fishbone; and comfort and joy in Chan Bo (Buffalo Boy), an image of a boy sleeping leisurely on a buffalo.

Ty was born in Hue in 1960, but grew up in Khanh Hoa Province's Nha Trang City. He began studying painting by himself in 2000.

His paintings have been displayed at several exhibitions in Viet Nam, France and the US.

The exhibition will run until April 27 at 53 Ho Tung Mau Street in District 1.

Art show to be held at Goethe Institute

An art exhibition entitled Solo for A Choir will be held featuring video and performance art at the Goethe Institute in Ha Noi.

The video installation by Jamie Maxtone-Graham will be open to public from 10am to 7pm over six days from April 19-24. Over the next three days, a number of artists will rotate in various performance art pieces. The exhibition will change from hour to hour depending on the number of and which artists will be there at each hour.

A live performance with all artists who have appeared in the installations will be held on April 28 with an art talk by independent artist Nguyen Trinh Thi about the process of working with the artists in the exhibition at 7pm.

The Ha Noi-based artist's practice consistently deals with memory and history, artists and their context.

Vietnam Ethnic Groups Cultural Day opens

A wide range of activities to mark the Vietnam Ethnic Groups Cultural Day got underway at the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups Culture and Tourism Village, Son Tay town, Hanoi on April 19.

The cultural day is to raise young people’s awareness on preserving and upholding the nation’s traditional cultural values, especially family one.

Spotlight at the event was a northern mountainous market with the participation of eight ethnic groups from six provinces and a number of enterprises.

Apart from introducing the traditional cultural space in northern mountainous areas, the three-day market presents local products, cuisine and features art performances, dancing and folk games.

Within the framework of the cultural day, a workshop on ethnic youths and traditional values of Vietnamese families was held with the participation of many experts in the field and nearly 100 students representing 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Italian exhibition highlights Vietnamese culture

An exhibition on the Vietnamese Cultural Space was opened in Florence, the capital of Tuscany region, on April 17, kick-starting “Vietnam Days in Tuscany”.

On display are pictures of Vietnam through different periods of history, typical musical instruments, brocades, traditional long dresses and publications on Vietnam’s tourism.

“Vietnam Days in Tuscany” is part of the “Vietnam Year in Italy” which features a diverse range of activities to take place in major Italian cities of Rome, Florence, Milan, Bologna, and Venice throughout the year.

It came hot on the heels of “Vietnam Days in Rome” which was held in January 2013 by the Vietnamese Embassy, drawing great attention of local people.

During the two-week event, there will be photo exhibitions, installation art shows, displays of Vietnamese fine arts and handicrafts, music performances, fashion shows, and a forum on Vietnam-Italy economic cooperation.  

The same day, a photo exhibition on the Vietnam-Italy solidarity in the 1960s and 1970s was inaugurated by the Italy-Vietnam Friendship Society.

HCM City marks Hung Kings Anniversary

Cultural activities across Ho Chi Minh City will mark the Death Anniversary of Hung Kings on April 19 this year--the tenth day of the third lunar month.

Dam Sen Cultural Park will organize an incense offering ceremony to commemorate Hung Kings at 5.30pm today, April 19. After the ceremony, visitors will have a chance to exchange with People’s Artist Le Thuy and see her perform Tan Co Giao Duyen songs.

From April 19-21, park visitors can attend traditional games, a competition to eat Chung and Day cakes and a cuisine area providing popular dishes like Gai cake, boiled corns, lotus seed sweet soup and southern fruits.

A cake making contest was co-organized by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Dam Sen Cultural Park on morning of April 19 in District 11.

A traditional boat race has also been organised with 50 participating teams at the park from April 19-20.

Suoi Tien Tourist Site held a ceremony to offer incense and 4,000 Chung and Day cakes to the Hung Kings on Friday.

The HCMC Historical and Cultural Park in District 9 coordinated with the Youth Cultural House to organize a traditional camping festival at the Hung King commemorative area in Long Binh Ward on April 18-19.

The camping festival attracted more than 1,200 students, youth and military soldiers. They also attended a book festival there. Most books are on culture, history and literature.

A photo exhibition on Hung Kings’ is on from April 2-24 at the HCMC Women Cultural House.

The HCMC History Museum is also running a photo exhibition on 54 ethnic minority groups of Vietnam at the Hung King Temple. A photo exhibition on the reign of the Hung Kings is on at Hung Vuong Secondary School, Phu Nhuan Cultural Center and Phu My Hung Commercial Center.

2013 Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival kicks off

The 2013 Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival officially opened on the evening of April 17th at the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Historical Relic Site in Ninh Binh Province.

The festival was to celebrate 1045 years since Dinh Bo Linh became king, and express deep gratitude to kings under Dinh, Le and Pre-Ly dynasties, and respond to the 2013 National Tourism Year in Red River Delta-Hai Phong.

The Hoa Lu Ancient Capital traditional festival is an annual event, to be held on the third lunar month.

During the three-day annual event, various cultural activities will take place, including a water procession from Hoang Long River to temples for kings; a release of a dragon made from balloons symbolizing the historic landmark of the day Dinh Bo Linh was enthroned 1045 years ago; an art photo exhibition on the impression on Ninh Binh-Bac Lieu, film screening on King Dinh Tien Hoang, a display of antiques of Dinh- Le dynasties, national wrestling competition and calligraphy exhibition.

Japan crafts and design to be introduced in Vietnam

A series of events, entitled “Japan Handmade: Crafts & Design from Kyoto” will take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from April 23rd to May 12th.

The events, part of activities celebrating the 2013 Japan-Vietnam Friendship Year, are organized by the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam Design House.

Accordingly, on April 23rd, the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam will open an exhibition, “Japan Handmade: Crafts & Design from Kyoto”, followed by a talk by Ms. Pham Thi Kieu Phuc, the founder and designer of Module 7. The exhibition will display products of a collective of young craftsmen, all are young heirs of traditional crafts in Kyoto.

Notably, the secrets of how to apply the time-honoured techniques of Japanese art and craft to create inspiring new designs with contemporary international appeal will be revealed in lectures, “Traditional craft and contemporary design in Japan” and “Kyoto’s new tradition – Nishijin textile & wired handicrafts”, and a workshop, “Let’s make a tofu server with metal knitting”, to be held on May 7th in Hanoi and May 9th in Ho Chi Minh City.

Kyoto, Japan’s former imperial capital, is world famous for the abundance of traditional crafts and craftspeople. Equipped with its long history of tradition, craftspeople in Kyoto have been continuously creating high quality products for generations.

Source: VNS/VNA/VOV/SGGP