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.

SiaM vol. 26: The Wind, the Chopsticks and the Cactus

June 17, 8 pm
Tita Art, 164A Tran Vu Street
June 18, 8 pm
Complex 01, Lane 31, alley 167 Tay Son Street, Hanoi

What thoughts does the name of SiaM vol. 26 conjure up for you? Though they seem to have no connection to one another whatsoever, it’s sometimes the leaps that you’re encouraged to take when trying to figure out they were put together that can lead you to vivid and irresistibly exciting worlds. Much like children listening to the grand tales of a charming, wise, and surprisingly humorous amateur storyteller down the street, these leaps leave you wide-eyed with wonder while your mind wanders off to a realm where the wind brings with it conversations and whispers, where a pair of chopsticks pluck out delicate images and drop them into the sunlight, where a group of cacti giggles from the tickles that someone seems to be giving them.

Performing artists:
Hoang Manh Lam, oboe
Alexander Oon, French horn (guest artist)
Liao Hsin-Chiao, piano
Chaiyaphat Prempree, percussion (guest artist)
Ngo Hoang Bach, percussion (guest artist)

Read with Us #7: Other Notions of Family

05 June – 02 July 2023, 07 am – 07 pm
2nd floor of Sóng Sánh Cafe
48 Ngoc Ha, Hanoi

We are stoked to introduce Read with us #07: Other notions of family. This showcase includes publications from Reading room, a new space dedicated to artbooks in HCMC, selected by its founder Long Nguyen.

Family has long been a go-to subject matter for many photographers, possibly because of its easy availability and accessibility. Photographing family members is traditionally an act of celebration and commemoration, but can it also be an act of grief.

The collaboration between the photographer with the members can go from familial and social to commercial and political. Is the artist the witness, participant or performer in such collaboration? Does the practice tamper with the bond, and how to make peace with that? Does kinship equal consent? How does the artist document different relationships within a family? What about biological vs adopted relationships? What about different types of families, be it nuclear or extended? What is family after all?

This selection of 11 photobooks centers around those questions and concerns. It offers a glimpse into how photographers from various social, cultural and religious backgrounds think of and document families. Obsession and ignorance. Peace and conflict. Bond and separation. Life and death. To photograph family is to reflect, explore and reconcile.

List of books:
Cui cui by Rinko Kawauchi
Cripian honey cathedral by Raymond Meeks
The Eighth Day by Gaoshan
Family by Masahisa Fusake
The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer by Alessandra Sanguinett
Pia by Christopher Anderson
Raven by Masahisa Fusake
Knit Club by Carolyn Drake
Mom by Charlie Engman
Pictures from Home by Larry Sultan
Tropism, Consequences of a Displaced Memory by Nhu Xuan Hua

Exhibition “Neverwhere”

Jun 13-Aug 5, Tues – Sat, 10 am – 07 pm
Galerie Quynh, 118 Nguyen Van Thu, D1, HCMC

In the vast expanse of the universe, we find ourselves in an infinitesimally small space, encountering endless mysteries that defy our understanding. Throughout history, artists and scientists alike have been captivated by the idea of parallel realities. Drawing inspiration from quantum mechanics, string theory, and avant-garde art movements, Neverwhere delves into the uncharted territories of the imagination, transcending conventional norms and questioning the limitations of our perception. The exhibition brings together six visionary artists – Nadege David, Cian Duggan, Sandrine Llouquet, Ngo Dinh Bao Chau, Trong Gia Nguyen, and Vo Tran Chau – who invite us on a mesmerizing journey through the intersections of art, science, and spirituality. The title “Neverwhere” borrows from the eponymous novel by Neil Gaiman that depicts an unseen world beneath the sewers – LondonBelow– where strange destinies await, suggesting the idea of a physical space that does not yet exist in time.

Exhibition “AMBER 3 Personality 1 Passion”

June 09 – 13
Lunet Art Galerie, 3rd Floor, Lunet Art General, 63-65 Hoang Dieu Street, Hanoi

A lacquer painting exhibition featuring more than 30 works by three talented artists, Claudie Van, Ekkehard Altenburger, and Dinh Ngoc Canh.

Amber, in English, can refer to both a color and a fossilized resin material with a yellow-brown tint that is often used as a gemstone and considered a precious material in Western art. Similarly, Vietnamese lacquer is also known for its intense color and luster, often referred to as “son ta” or “cockroach wings” in Vietnamese culture. Vietnamese lacquer painters use this material on various surfaces, such as painted surfaces or gold and silver layers, to produce different color effects, clarity, and shine.

Exhibition “Japanese dolls”

Until Jun 20, 08 am – 05 pm
1st Floor, Danang Fine Arts Museum, 78 Le Duan Street, Hai Chau District, Da Nang

Introducing nearly 70 pieces of dolls, both traditional and modern, that were made in Japan, displayed in 2 sections: human-shaped dolls and wooden dolls Kokeshi.

French Embassy hosts AFP’s “Road to 2024” photo exhibition

Until June 24,

Featuring 24 photographs snapped by Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographers to celebrate the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

AFP photographers captured a range of unique images during previous Olympic competitions and events leading up to the 2024 Games which will be held in the French capital. Audiences will be able to experience and relive the most memorable moments of these major sporting events thanks to AFP’s distinctive perspective, which combines a expertise, creativity, and innovation.

Exhibition “Created in Italy - An aptitude for the impossible”

Until June 18,
The Hanoi Museum, Hanoi

Showcasing the journey of Italian industrial design with 31 exhibits representing the prominence of technological innovation and production.

Exhibition “Road to 2024″

May 24 – June 24
French Embassy in Vietnam, 57 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi
Curator: Manan Vatsyayana

Agence France-Presse proudly presents 24 incredible photos celebrating the Games and the Olympic spirit in the “Road to 2024” exhibition.

AFP photographers captured these unique images from previous Olympic competitions and events leading to the 2024 Games in Paris. The audience will be able to experience and relive the most memorable moments of these major sporting events thanks to AFP’s distinctive perspective – a blend of expertise, creativity, and innovation.

Exhibition “Peculiar Interfaces”

Until July 23 (off Monday), 09 am – 07 pm
The Outpost, Roman Plaza Tower B1 (Floor 2), To Huu Street, Hanoi

In realising the growth of digital media in everyday context and the lack of its discussion in the local art conversations, The Outpost seeks to introduce artworks that engage with the amplifying presence of smart machines and digital technology through our exhibition and acquisition activities. “Peculiar Interfaces” serves as an abstract to The Outpost’s long-term dedication to explore and unpack how technology is impacting our relationships to one another, and to the world around us.

Exhibition ‘No more, not yet’

Display: Feb – June, Wed & Fri, 10 am – 04 pm
EMASI Nam Long (D.7)
Tues & Thurs, 10 am – 04 pm
EMASI Vạn Phúc, Thu Duc Dist., HCMC
*and every last Saturday of the month

Nguyen Art Foundation (NAF) proudly invites you to the opening of ‘No more, not yet’, an exhibition that looks back on Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai’s shapeshifting artistic practice in all its multiplicity. Winner of the Artist Excellence Award (inaugural edition, initiated by The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre and managed by in-tangible institute), her work is presented here alongside nearly 20 artists whom she calls her colleagues and friends. The exhibition will be on display from February to June 2023 across the campuses of EMASI Nam Long and EMASI Van Phuc.