SiaM vol. 27: The Soap Bubbles

08 pm, Sat 19 Aug 2023
Tita Art
164A Trấn Vũ, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
08 pm, Sun 20 Aug 2023
Complex 01
Lane 31, alley 167 Tây Sơn, Quang Trung, Đống Đa, Hà Nội

What is your first memory of playing chamber music with someone? For many kids who grow up learning music and sharing one piano in the family, their first memories of playing music and sharing fun moments often relate to their siblings, playing piano four-hands together. Squeezing on the same piano bench, having all the four hands placed on one keyboard, pedaling and page turning for each other; sometimes bumping one hand into another, sometimes fighting and crying when things don’t work out, but most of the time laughing cheerfully and creating great memories… it’s a shared experience among numerous pianists, young and old; and it’s a treasure from childhood many would hold dear with them for a long, long time.

For SiaM vol. 27: The Soap Bubbles, the first volume of Season 4, Schubert in a Mug is bringing our audience something so very special: a complete piano four-hands program by our two pianists, Hsin-Chiao and Thu, with compositions full of fantasies and loving tunes written for kids and skilled amateurs.

We will march into the fantasy-like world with Schubert’s Military March, and then emerge ourselves in the magical atmosphere created by Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite followed by Fauré’s Dolly Suite, both written for children that were dear to the composers. Afterwards, we will sail into the innocent and transparent tone world of Debussy’s Petite Suite and end the journey together with selections from Bizet’s Children’s Games, in which each piece is named after one game everybody must have played when he or she was a kid. Among all, the No. 7 Soap Bubbles, is where SiaM vol. 27 gets the name.

We wish to bring everyone a cheerful evening full of colors and fantasies from childhood and start the new season of SiaM full of happiness!

So, pay a visit to the Hoàn Kiếm Lake Walking Street in those afternoons before the concerts start, and enjoy playing some soap bubbles there while you walk! SiaM can’t wait to welcome all of you back to a new season with freshness and joy.

Performing artists:
– Liao Hsin-Chiao, piano
– Hoàng Hồ Thu, piano

In partnership with: Tita Art, Việt Thương và Steinway & Sons, Complex 01 and Polygon Musik, Zebra Entertainment

The Circle: The Confluence of Tradition and Creativity

18 Aug – 18 Oct 2023
New World Saigon Hotel
76 Lê Lai, Bến Thành Ward, District 1, HCMC

On August 18 2023, the artistic space ‘The Circle’ will officially launch with the first exhibition of photographer Thien Minh – ‘Hoa Mắt’ at New World Saigon Hotel, marking the initial collaboration between the prestigious 5-star hotel and the versatile contemporary art gallery, Gallery Medium.

New World Saigon Hotel, with its rich history and reputation as a preferred choice of presidents, excellent leader and renowned artists, stands as an emblem of tradition and elegance in the heart of Saigon. Gallery Medium, an art gallery with a fresh and open-minded style, aims to blur the lines between art, interior design and decoration – representing youthfulness and creativity. Through the synergy of these two icons, ‘The Circle’ is created, bringing a refreshing breeze to the art exhibition space with a youthful yet equally sophisticated style. ‘The Circle’ contributes to bringing art closer to people of all ages who lead enriched lives.

The exhibition area of ‘The Circle’ is created by the creative team from Gallery Medium, drawing inspiration from the dome in the lobby of New World Saigon Hotel. Despite being contained within a 7-meter diameter, ‘The Circle’ fully meets the requirements for a professional art exhibition. ‘The Circle’ is also likened to the ‘brain’ of the artist. Upon entering this space, viewers will feel connected and discover the creations within the minds of each artist.

In this collaboration, both New World Saigon Hotel and Gallery Medium aspire to build and encourage the development of Vietnamese art. The project is conceived as a playground and an opportunity for young artists to contribute their passion and spread spiritual value through each artwork.

The initiation of the art space ‘The Circle’ will take place at the New World Saigon Hotel on August 18 2023, featuring the opening exhibition ‘Hoa Mắt Sequel’ by renowned photographer Thien Minh.

Thien Minh shares that he wants to continue spreading his inspiration from the diversity of art in general and photography in particular, focusing on how to perceive beauty and capture it through his eyes.

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.

Exhibition to introduce the narrative of French artists about Indochina

Aug 14 to 17Park Hyatt Saigon Ballroom, 2 Lam Son Square, D1, HCMC

Introducing the works of French artists who travelled to or lived in Indochina.

Featuring more than 50 works by artists including the likes of Victor Tardieu, Jean-Louis Paguenaud and André Maire.

Audiences can register via the link: https://rsvp.theworldsbest.events/_4o5rz. 

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.

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.

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.