Eight art spaces and art initiatives in Hanoi and Hue will receive grants from the Danish Culture Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF) to carry out and develop their activities during 2018.

Then Cafe is the only art space from Hue City to receive a CDEF grant in 2018. - Photo facebook Then Cafe

The eight CDEF recipients are Hanoi Doclab, Heritage Space, Manzi Art Space, Matca, Nha San Studio, Rec Room, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) and Then Cafe.

Within the grant’s framework, these local art groups will be able to produce projects that engage the community with various types of modern arts such as painting and installation exhibitions, film-making and photography workshops, publications and performances in the years of 2018-19.

Hanoi Doclab will receive VNĐ150 million (US$6,600) for its A Multi-Faceted Platform for Moving Image and Media Arts project which will focus on sound and visual works. It will equip local art practitioners with technical and critical knowledge to sustain their practices through a series of workshops, projects, exhibition programmes, publication initiatives and collaborations with Danish partners.

Heritage Space will receive VNĐ180 million. This is the second time it will receive a CDEF grant for its Months of Arts Practice.

"With CDEF’s grant we will continue to create an exchange platform for direct exchange between local and international artists with the special theme of minorities and vulnerable groups in society," said Heritage Space’s art director Nguyen Anh Tuan.

Manzi Art Space will use its grant of VNĐ120 million to carry out Contemporary Art in Việt Nam: Audience Development & Roles of Art in Social Development Project. The project contains a variety of contemporary art activities with film screenings, cultural debates, a literature events, visual art exhibitions and music performances with the participation of both local and international artists.

Matca is the youngest organisation to receive the grant this year. It will get VNĐ150 million for its Matca - A Gathering Space for Vietnamese Photography project. It is to create a community art space for Vietnamese young photographers. It expects to hold four exhibitions under the project.

Established in 1998, Nha San Studio is the oldest contemporary art centre in Hanoi. Its grant is VNĐ180 million to consist of a series of arts and cultural events throughout 2018, promoting the work of young artists and curators and stimulating artistic and generational dialogues in Viet Nam.

Key events will be the Emerging Artists Programme, Future in Reserve Programme and Nha San 20+ Exhibition.

Hue-based Then Cafe will aim to create a residency programme for 10 young Vietnamese artists and five others from Asian countries in Art Village, in Hue City. With the support of VNĐ120 million, the invitees will create art-works inspired from their profound experiences and mutual collaborations.

TPD and Rec Room focus on film and music. TPD will receive VNĐ101 million for bringing cinema to audiences whilst Rec Room will get VNĐ80 million for its Viet Nam Tour project. An art-bus tour with a special focus on music performances is used to promote Vietnamese young artists and their underground arts across the country. The tour will kick off on May 25 and will last tentatively around 24 days.

"We are very pleased that Denmark’s contributions have been instrumental in encouraging new and experimental art projects and collaborations in Viet Nam over the past 13 years," said Ane Kirsten Andersen, the embassy’s Cultural Counselor at the press conference held on Monday.  "Arts spread beyond words and they are bridges, which can enhance our understanding of each other’s differences, but especially of our similarities".

CDEF is a key component of Danish culture programme in Viet Nam which was started in 2006 with total amount of VNĐ22 billion. Since its launch, the programme has supported hundreds of successful project and artists, assisting Viet Nam in creating a vibrant contemporary art scene.  — VNS