Exhibition “Plastics: Pollution and Solutions”

Until Sep 17, 9 am – 6 pm, 
Floor 3, Lam Dong Provincial Children’s Activity Centre, 10 Ly Tu Trong Street, HCM City

Institut Francais in Vietnam and the Phố Bên Đồi Creative Studio in collaboration with the French Development Research Institute, are pleased to present the exhibition “Plastics: Pollution and Solutions”, scheduled to take place in July – September 2023.

The exhibition includes 21 panels of bilingual French – Vietnamese documents, making the journey from Hanoi to Hue and then Da Lat, to interpret the life of plastic from production to consumption in daily life until it is released into the soil and water environment.

The documentary exhibition “Plastics: pollution and solutions” will tell us about the life of plastic from the place of production to the place of consumption in daily life, until it is dispersed in soil and water environments. Although addressing the situation in Vietnam but not limited to a certain country or territory, the exhibition will help viewers understand and feel the local and global challenges related to plastics, a popular material, but its environmental consequences are becoming increasingly worrisome.

To face the plastic waste crisis, Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has developed an expanded producer responsibility (EPR) regulation to regulate the “wildlife of plastic”, minimize waste and optimize the garbage collection and disposal chain. Through photo materials and charts with commentary produced by the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), the exhibition is a true wake-up call that reminds us that we all have a share of responsibility and the ability to make out solutions.

Paris-neither fish nor fowl 

11 am – 07 pm, 27 Jul – 26 Aug 2023
Galerie BAQ, 15, Rue Beautreillis, 75004 Paris, France

The first group show of the Phu Lang Sa Collabtive project, introducing the works of young Asian and Asian-descent artists in the Phu Lang Sa Collective: Nguyen Phuong Thao, Trần Kim Phượng, Hang Hang, Khieu Anh along with invited artists Ha-Yeon Joo, Maya de Vulpillières, Tống Khánh Hà and Kay Maruta.

The showcased artists will participate in a cumulative process, adding their work in dialogue with each other and continually changing the space and enriching the conversation. The show will take its final form during the last week of August.

Phu Lang Sa Collectif’s talk:
05 – 07 pm, 10th August
Du côté chez Loan | 20 rue Hallé, 75014 Paris

Shaped by Vietnamese artists, Phu Lang Sa Collabtive project supports fellow art practitioners from minority communities living and working in Europe.

Strolling through the Land of Lacquer

Aug 2 – 8,
Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

Lacquer painting is honored as a wonder of Vietnamese fine arts. Grasping the field of lacquer painting resembled a gentle stroll to leave time to savor and capture the eclectic approaches to lacquer art amidst its evolution process. The Muse profoundly presents Strolling through the Land of Lacquer.

In this exhibition, we proudly present these 10 artists, whose names are no stranger to art lovers:
– Lý Trực Sơn
– Nguyễn Quang Trung
– Phan Cẩm Thượng
– Triệu Khắc Tiến
– Vũ Văn Tịch
– Nguyễn Thị Thúy Nguyệt
– Nguyễn Xuân Lục
– Nguyễn Thị Quế
– Đỗ Thị Kim Đoan
– Phạm Trà My

Each of these artists is currently on a path to explore lacquer in unique artistic perspectives, some are opposite, namely the conventional and unorthodox, being reactive and converse with materials, standardized techniques fore implementation, and vice versa. We savor the fruits of their artistic labors, along with their amalgamation as well as distinction, for the eyes of viewers.

Hidden Moment from the East – An Internet Troll

July 7– Oct 7
CUC Gallery, A4703 (Floor 47), Keangnam Hanoi Tower A, Duong Dinh Nghe Street, Hanoi

Cuc Gallery is pleased to announce Hidden Moment From The East: An Internet Troll — a solo exhibition by the emerging painter Nguyen Ngoc Vu.

Based in Saigon, this is Vu’s first ever show at Cuc Gallery in Hanoi, and it constitutes the second installment in his ongoing Hidden Moment series. The first installment was presented by Cuc Gallery at SEA Focus art fair in Singapore, with the title Hidden Moment From The East: The Internet Has No Filter.

In this new chapter, the artist dives once more into the morass of internet culture, combining both Eastern and Western art historical idioms with the cutting-edge cringe of the day.

Operetta “Die Lustige Witwe”

Aug 12 – 13, 8pm 
Saigon Opera House, 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, District 1, HCM City

The Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) is pleased to present “The Merry Widow”, a special adaptation from the classic operetta “Die Lustige Witwe” by Franz Léhar, original libretto by Viktor Léon & Leo Stein. The project is co-produced by HBSO and the Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City.

A classic story of love-money between a wealthy widow and her ex-lover is moved into an imaginary theatre in Sài Gòn, where the main characters determine the fate of the theatre house itself. In this operetta, true to its form, we got a chance to discover the masterful use of choreography and dialogue in tandem with the score to incorporate social criticism in seemingly frivolous pastimes.

On its premiere, “Die Lustige Witwe” was immediately received with enthusiasm, having nearly 500 performances in Austria and other European countries. Only two years after, the play hit Broadway and opened more than 400 shows. This entangled and humorous love story has been made into a ballet and adapted on the big screen many times.

The Vietnamese version of the play, conceived by a special group of artists from Germany and Vietnam, is an attempt to extend the audience’s experience with operatic form in Saigon. Hopefully two nights of the show will bring laughter to the audience and be a memorable artistic experience for the audience in the middle of a joyful urban summer.

Exhibition “Praising impermanence”

09 am – 08 pm, 07 Aug – 03 Sep 2023
Annam Gallery, 371/4 Hai Bà Trưng, Võ Thị Sáu Ward, District 3, HCM City

Annam Gallery and Lan Tinh Foundation are pleased to present “Praising impermanence”, an inaugural solo exhibition of Hoài-Phương. This curated collection, overseen by Ace Le – founder of Lan Tinh Foundation, comprises over 30 paintings, each accompanied by a Haiku poem composed by the monk poet Pháp Hoan.

Out of a pool of over 600 poems, Hoai Phuong personally selected each poem based on her profound connection and sympathy. The painting titled “Eighty four thousand trees” embodied the vast forest of Buddhist preaching while reflecting her own feeling as she embarked on her artistic journey. The painting “Great Snow” is based on a koan of a Zen master who chopped down a Buddha statue to make a bonfire, making her question about the true nature of belief. The painting “Arid field” made her sympathize with the farmers from Mekong delta whose livelihood are endangered with water salinization and prolonged drought.

As a self-taught artist hailing from Saigon, Vietnam and now based in Bologna, Italy, Hoài-Phương has always been driven by a passion for drawing. She transformed this hobby into a lifelong career while pursuing her B.F.A in the United States, and now as a mother of two, she continues to nurture her art practice alongside her family.

Utilizing traditional Asian techniques such as painting with natural pigments and ink, Phương hopes to understand the essence of the past while also bringing a fresh perspective to her work. Her art is a fusion of Asian techniques and Western realism, reflecting her position as a diasporic Vietnamese constantly questioning her place and connection to her surroundings. Like a plant seeking to root itself in foreign soil, Phuong is always contemplating the East and the West within her heart.

Her work is a meditation on the interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world, a contemplation of the mysteries of the universe, and a search for hidden truths. Through her pieces, Phương weaves a poignant narrative of the human experience and the beauty of natural phenomena, showcasing her deep appreciation for the complexities and wonders of the world around us.

the kingfisher’s beak

19 Jul – 20 Aug 2023
Sàn Art, Units B6.16 and B6.17, Floor 6, Building B, Millennium MasterB
132 Bến Vân Đồn, District 4, HCM City

Sàn Art is pleased to collaborate with urban artist Liar Ben on the project, the kingfisher’s beak, a public art project that takes inspiration from every day’s life at Cù lao Nguyễn Kiệu, a small island that is attached to District 4.

Kingfishers are known to be amongst the most precise hunting birds despite their small bodies. They usually live close to the water and tend to observe their prey very carefully before swooping down from a perch. Playfully taking the role of a kingfisher, the artist carefully crafts and invites the audience into his playground, an expedition starting at Sàn Art, leisurely strolling along the canal and exploring the artworks amidst the scattered urban lives.

Taking a complicated urban space as the core, the project calls for the consideration of social and spatial relations during artistic production as well as consumption. We will be taking a strolling exercise, paying homage to ‘dérive’ but this time instead of drifting with no purpose, try to pay attention to how existing lives are layered on top of abandoned ones, how spaces can be treated as both cultural and political landmark, but at the same time, a playground… a concrete jungle suddenly turning into water under the beak of the kingfisher.

Liar Ben (b.1990), is an urban artist, who did not finish his schooling at the University of Fine Art, HCMC. His practices include street art, graffiti, art toy and his research focus on finding and making meanings out of the flow of urban life, to connect authentic local creativity to every day’s life. Some of his notable projects include Cô Mía (2012-now), Cơm Hộp (2019 – now), he’s now working fulltime as a very ham chơi artist, who likes to explore, observe and play with his art.

Dissonance III: Deep Forest Prologue

22 July – 31 Aug 2023
Vin Gallery, 35/8 Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 6, Binh Thanh District, HCM City

Dissonance III: Deep Forest Prologue by artist, Harumi Yonekawa. Living and working in Tokyo, Harumi Yonekawa has explored various lens-based media such as photography and sculpture for her installations since the early 90’s, and has developed an in-depth understanding and pursuing relationships between the existence of the body and the possibilities of reality.

What’s left behind the Rectum? – Chapter 2: The Great Excretion

09 am – 08 pm, Tues – Sun, 09 July – 13 Aug 2023
Mơ Art Space, B3, 136 Hang Trong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

This July, Mo Art Space cordially present to art lovers the solo showcase by artist Tèo Phạm, curated by Đỗ Tường Linh

Drawing inspiration from the philosophical writings of Martin Heidegger and Friedrich Nietzsche, the vibrant works of Tèo Phạm leave a strong impression on viewers with the concept of “excretion”. In his practice, he deliberately does not interfere much in terms of content and techniques, while calling his creative process a spiritual excrement – a grand excrement, implying a periodicity in what the mind and the spirit absorb and subsequently generate, the cycle of cause and effect.

Originally a satirical cartoonist, Tèo Phạm can play with any subject in a lighthearted way. The sacred is thus juxtaposed with the mundane; references to ancient beliefs are intertwined with wit and creativity; and the somewhat challenging lines blend with an appreciation of the unnoticed.

Following the first solo exhibition in 2022, “What’s left behind the Rectum? – Chapter 2: The Great Excretion” at Mơ Art Space offers a deeper insight into the vibrant and energetic colors of Tèo Phạm.

The UK/Viet Nam Season 2023 
June – Dec 2023

The UK/Viet Nam Season will take place across Viet Nam, between June and December 2023 in order to celebrating the best of UK-Vietnamese partnerships across the arts, creative industries, higher education, and in English language. Its programme of events includes exciting workshops, performances, exhibitions, hackathons and more.

The UK and Viet Nam first forged a diplomatic relationship 50 years ago – this Season commemorates the 30th anniversary of British Council’s presence in Viet Nam. UK/Viet Nam Season is an opportunity to strengthen existing bonds and forge new creative partnerships between the people of both countries.

The UK/Viet Nam Season kicks off in June and will showcase the richness of the relationship between the UK and Viet Nam – from one-of-a-kind major festival performances, to interactive large-scale exhibitions that tackle global challenges, to works delving into the rich history of Vietnamese–British communities, or sonic journeys exploring the voices who have made a home in Hue City and Manchester. The Season is focused on building on the rich historic ties between the UK and Viet Nam, and how we create our future together.

Throughout UK/Viet Nam Season, British Council will actively support new educational resources that focus on how we can create a more sustainable world. These resources are designed for classrooms at all levels, so students and teachers can learn about the important challenges facing our planet and how they can make a difference.

British Council’ll bring together experts from both the education and language sectors, to help us address this global challenge and engage our communities in the conversation.