In the Shadow of Appearances – an art party for enthusiasts

The group exhibition “In the Shadow of Appearances” – a summer group exhibition featuring artworks by Thien Do, Ha Manh Thang, Hoang Duong Cam, Nguyen Thanh Truc, Tran Van Thao and Lien Truong, has just opened at Galerie Quynh in downtown HCMC.

Whether depicting traumatic topographies, examining personal and collective histories and memories, or questioning the rules and regulations of the society, the six participating artists in this exhibition look at the visible and the invisible – those that are seen, hidden or rarely acknowledged. All the works can be considered a kind of visual or metaphorical arts, with each artist highlighting ways of erasing, layering, rewriting, repositioning and reimagining.

With varied styles, varied materials and varied themes, the exhibition seems to be a fabulous party for enthusiasts to discover the local contemporary arts. All the artists have given many solo and group exhibitions at home and abroad.

The exhibition will be on display until August 23 at Galerie Quynh Downtown at Level 2 at 151/3 Dong Khoi Street in HCMC’s District 1.

Get frenzy with Hardcore United

Rock music party Hardcore United featuring performances of 11 music bands nationwide will take place at 3 Ton Duc Thang Street in HCMC’s District 1 on June 21.

The festival is a chance for youngsters and artists to share their passion, and develop a hardcore community in Vietnam. Moreover, there are many side activities to rock audiences such as booths of stickers, tattoos, merch of music bands and other booths of fashion, accessories and foods.

The event will also send part of the proceeds to Flying Whales fund to help unlucky children and elderly.

The event opens from 9 a.m. and music performances will start from 4 p.m. to midnight. Admission is priced at VND165,000 per person, inclusive of a drink.

For further information, call Cao Vinh at 0126. 449.9940 or Tam An at 0127. 555. 7770. Tickets are available at Fix Republic Cafe, 30/1F Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street in District 3, Caztus Coffee, 4A Vo Thi Sau Street in District 1, Hoi Uc, 4 Cu Lao Street in Phu Nhuan District and at TEE Cofee & Tattoo at 444/6 Cach Mang Thang 8 Street in District 3.

National contest to keep traditional art forms alive

A national competition for younger people involved in traditional arts started on June 20 in Tay Do Theatre in Can Tho City and will run until June 26.

About 50 artists from professional troupes and theatres will show off their skills at the event, run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Department of Performing Arts and the Vietnam Theatre Artists Association.

The competition is a chance for young artists to share their experiences, said Nguyen Dang Chuong, head of department.

It is also an opportunity to discover artists interested in the traditional arts.

The performers range from teenagers to young adults about 30 years old. Each artist selects one 20-minute extract to illustrate the characteristics of cai luong (reformed theatre), bai choi (central region folk singing), and dam (folk singing of Nghe An and Ha Tinh central provinces).

These traditional arts have developed in the central and the southern areas of country.

Managers from art troupes and theatres are reviewing the traditional arts to develop a strategy to keep them alive, said Chuong.

ASEAN puppeteers meet in Hanoi

The annual meeting of the ASEAN Puppetry Association opened in Hanoi on June 19 to chart a development course for the genre of art in the coming year.

Present at the event were puppeteers from all 10 ASEAN member states, namely Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Brunei.

During the three-day meeting, delegates will share experience in preserving and developing the art form in the context of globalization.

The Vietnam Puppetry Theater will treat delegates to Vietnam’s traditional water puppet shows.

Enjoying wine and learning to paint at VinSpace Art Studio

At VinSpace Art Studio, there is an art topic every month. The topic for this June is about Canvas and Wine, following artist Modigliani’s style. It is held on Thursday, June 26, 2014, from 6:30pm to 9pm at VinSpace Art Studio, 95 Pasteur Street, District 1, HCMC.

Artist Modigliani had a very special way to paint his self-portrait, by using a small mirror. Therefore, visitors will learn how to paint their self-portrait by applying this technique. During the session, visitors can paint, enjoy the wine and share their interests in art. At first, there will be a presentation about white and red wine. Visitors can try the taste of wines in the studio and then the painting session will begin.

Guides will be available to introduce, explain the topic and Modigliani’s technique, and give advices for visitors to paint by themselves. At the end of the session, visitors can bring their self-portrait home.

‘Visual Arts and Social Innovation’ awaits projects

The project fund for ‘Visual Arts and Social Innovation’ is calling for submissions from independent visual arts organizations across Africa, Asia and Latin-America that focus on research about societal issues, facilitating relationships and the development of new perspectives on social, economic and climate issues.

The fund belongs to Arts Collaboratory - a program for the support of visual art initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The fund, established in January 2007 by Hivos and DOEN Foundation in the Netherlands, aims at providing financial support, facilitating knowledge sharing, and promoting networking and artistic exchange.

The project aims to prove that culture is a potential driving force in processes of social innovation, and contemporary arts are further developing and increasingly focusing on researching and addressing societal issues.

The fund can support a maximum of €15,000 per project.

Application should be no longer than 6 pages and application form must be filled out in English, French or Spanish. The projects will be judged on the artistic quality of research and output, the social innovation or new perspectives that the project aims to develop, how the research or project set-up is and the probability of successful implementation, financial viability and sustainability of impact.

The deadline of the project is on July 31.Application form can be downloaded at http://old.artscollaboratory.org/funding.

Sakura Collection 2014 calls for contestants

The Sakura Collection Asia Student Awards 2014, a fashion design contest open to all non-Japanese students and amateur designers in Asia, is calling for applications from Vietnamese enthusiasts aged from 18 and above.

The contest themed “Japan” requires participants to make designs based on Japanese culture and style with the harmony of Eastern traditions and Western trends. The contest also aims at creating a playground for young fashion designers to exchange and share their passion as well as to show their creativeness.

Participants can submit a maximum three collections and each collection has no more than five artworks. The first winner will be awarded a trip to Japan to join the Sakura Collection in Kansai and Tokyo, other awards from Japanese sponsors, and a chance for his/her collection to be showcased at Sakura Collection Show in Paris.

Applications can be sent to sakuracollectionvn@gmail.com or at the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam at 27 Quang Trung Street in Hanoi. The deadline for application is July 15.

Greece celebrates Vietnamese culture

A cultural programme "Meet my country - Vietnam'' was launched recently in the capital city of Athens, as part of activities to celebrate 40 years of diplomacy between Vietnam and Greece.

The event, co-organised by the Women's International Club (WIC) and Vietnamese Embassy in Greece, aimed to introduce Greek and international friends to Vietnam’s land, people, culture, and cooperation opportunities.

A series of activities including a photo exhibition, Ao Dai (Vietnam’s traditional long dress) show, and food festival were held during the programme.

The highlight of the event was the screening of a documentary film on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the East Sea islands.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Vu Binh briefed participants on Vietnam’s history and development, and answered questions relating to social affairs, health care, education, culture, tourism, sustainable development, as well as relations between Vietnam and Greece.

Delegates had the chance to sample traditional Vietnamese dishes such as spring rolls, sticky rice prepared by Vietnamese chefs.

Festival depicts national sacred sea, island sovereignty

The nation’s sacred sovereignty, borders, seas and islands will be to the fore of a festival designed for ethnic groups of Vietnam at the Vietnamese Ethnic Group Village in Dong Mo, Hanoi, on June 28-29.

In the spotlight of the festival, themed “A great family of Vietnamese ethnic groups and the fatherland’s sacred sovereignty”, will be a traditional ceremony commemorating sailors of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) flotilla, according to the organising board on June 19.

The “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers), to be staged by fishermen from Ly Son island, central Quang Ngai province, pays tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla to patrol the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to tap natural resources and defend national island sovereignty.

According to Vietnam’s feudal state history, the Hoang Sa flotilla was set up when the Nguyen Lords began their reign in the south of the country.

Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, and tap marine resources at orders by the Nguyen Lords. Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned to mainland.

To pay tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla, the ceremony has been observed through hundreds of years by families in Ly Son and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai.

Apart from the feast, there will be a ceremony of fishermen from central Da Nang city praying for rain and a ritual worshiping the god of sea wave (Po Riayak) of Cham fishermen of the central province of Ninh Thuan.

These form part of Vietnam Family Day (June 28), the organising board said.

A record Vietnamese map, pieced together by thousands of family photos, will be put on display at the festival. It will then be presented to soldiers and residents on Truong Sa island district, bearing signatures of representatives of ethnic groups and tourists.

Mgallery La Verand Resort Phu Quoc runs summer promotion

The MGallerty La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc is making the summer holiday more affordable with its super sale scheme. All travelers are invited to make bookings between June 17 – 27 for savings of up to 30% for a stay between July 11 and August 31.

Especially, in order to enjoy immediate priority access and the full discounted rate of up to 40%, guests are recommended to register for a membership of Accor Advantage Plus and Le Club Card. Guests can get a huge complimentary daily breakfast and benefits, comprising roundtrip airport transfer, personal check-in at Le Bar, welcome drink upon arrival, welcome canapé and cold towel upon arrival, welcome fruit platter in room on arrival date, daily turn-down service, free use of Wi-Fi and special setup for honeymooner with roses and candle.