Exhibition “Study and Follow Ho Chi Minh’s Moral example”

Opening: Fri 15 May 2015, 4 pm

Exhibition: 15 – 25 May 2015

Exhibition House 29 Hang Bai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

You are invited to the exhibition titled “Study and Follow Ho Chi Minh’s Moral Example” to celebrate the 125th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birth.

The exhibition will feature 120 artworks including paintings, graphics, sculpture and posters themed on the journey of President Ho Chi Minh to find the way to liberate Vietnam from colonialism, establish Communist Party, unite the whole country, gain freedom and independence, etc.

120 artworks are made from various materials such as lacquer, oil, silk, acrylic, ceramic, wood, composite, copper.

Video Night at Hanoi Social Club – Vietnamese Award-wining Shorts

Sun 17 May 2015, 8 pm

Hanoi Social Club

6 Hoi Vu Str, Hanoi

Have a relax Sunday night with Video Club. We will be showing Vietnamese award-wining shorts. This will also be a night for socializing with other people with same interests of watching movies or making films. This time, we will be gladly welcoming a talented young director, who will share his knowledge, experience in movie-making. At the end of the night, feel free to share your own videos.

Please come a bit early to order your drink on the first floor, before getting your favorite seat on the second floor.

Note: This event will be run mostly in Vietnamese.

Free entrance.

Artist Talk and Workshop with Graphic-Novel Author Reinhard Kleist

Artist talk: Wed 20 May 2015, 7 pm

Workshop: Wed 20 May 2015, 9 am – 5 pm

Goethe-Institut Hanoi

56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

During his stay as artist in residence at the Goethe-Institut, Kleist is showing his individual drawing techniques to young professionals. Besides trying out different techniques he is explaining his style by reference to his own works in this workshop. Moreover, the workshop is dealing with the crucial question of how to create a gripping story.

Kleist’s works cannot be pigeonholed; often inspired by journeys abroad his works often show social criticism. His latest novel The dream of Olympia deals with the bitter fate of the Somalian sportswoman Samia Yusuf Omar, whose dream of Olympia tragically ends in death when she has to flee from Islamic extremists.

Kleist developed his individual style over the years. Whereas in his beginnings his drawings stylistically resembled the works of artists like Dave McKean, his latest works are said to be similar in style to those of the American pioneer of the graphic novel Will Eisner. Strong contrasts between light and dark as well as fluent lines are typical for Kleist’s illustrations.

The famous graphic-novel author and comic-strip artist Reinhard Kleist gained worldwide attention and recognition for his works such as Cash – I see a darkness about the famous country musician Johnny Cash and Castro about the Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Artist talk: Comic-art in Germany and Vietnam

Together with Vietnamese artists, Reinhard Kleist talks about comics and their meaning in Vietnam and Germany. Which role do comic-strips play in Vietnam and Germany? Which trends can be seen internationally? Reinhard Kleist will talk about his works and the artists from Hanoi will bring works of their own, too.

born in 1970 near Cologne, studied graphic design in Münster. Currently he lives in Berlin, where he shares the studio BerlinComix with the comic artists Fil, Naomi Fearn and Mawil. He published numerous comics and won several awards, among others the Max und Moritz-Preis, the most significant award for graphic literature in Germany.

Workshop: To enroll for the workshop until 11.05.2015 with a letter of motivation and portfolio, please contact karla.franielczyk@hanoi.goethe.org.

Artist talk: Free entrance

Language

Workshop: English

Artist talk: English and Vietnamese

Open Studio “In A Confused Mind” at Nha San Collective

Open studio: 15 – 29 May 2015

Artist talk: Sun 17 May 2015, 4 pm

Nha San COLLECTIVE

2nd floor, 24 Ly Quoc Su, Hanoi

Nhà Sàn Collective and Work Room Four proudly present the artist of May – Nguyen Kim Duy on this open studio session with his latest experiments.

Studied at Vietnam University of Art, graduated from Nuremberg Art Institute. Under the instruction of Professor Jochen Flinzer on July 2014, Kim Duy has returned to Vietnam with interesting drawings, respectively exhibited at Work Room Four and Heritage Space.

On the upcoming open studio session, Kim Duy will open up about a collective of his new experiments, continue his series about minimalism and metaphor he has been pursuing.

A compilation of his artwork in minimalistic style which contain concepts about space will be exhibited at Nha San Collective from 6PM Friday May 15th, with the hope that the audience will have a new experience in approaching Art.

Film Screening “Helsinki, Forever”

Tue 19 May 2015, 7.30 pm

Goethe-Institut Hanoi

56-58 Nguyễn Thái HọcBa Đình, Hà Nội

The Onion Cellar presents`in collaboration with Hanoi DocLab

A reprise screening of HELSINKI, FOREVER

FREE ENTRY [donation suggested]

The official Vietnam premiere of HELSINKI, FOREVER took place April 2013 at Goethe-Institut Hanoi, also organised by The Onion Cellar and Hanoi DocLab.

Part of THE CITY LIMITS, a series of city-films curated and presented by The Onion Cellar

HELSINKI, FOREVER

A film by Peter Von Bagh made exclusively of Helsinki-related found footage

2008, 74 minutes

Finnish, with subtitles in Vietnamese and English

“Few movies may boast a stronger opening sequence, and few movies offer such an extraordinary finale… Helsinki, Forever deserves its rank among the great ‘city-poems’… With the choice of incredible documents and the unfailing mixture of both musical items, editing and score, you made an unforgettable film.”

[Chris Marker on Helsinki, Forever in a letter to Peter Von Bagh]

Helsinki vu par Peter Von Bagh: a vision of Finland’s capital through the ages, created with pictures and sounds from myriads of films, newsreels and songs. A stunning achievement – an epic of time regained and lost again.

Peter Von Bagh’s international break-through: a portrait of Finland’s capital made with material taken from all eras and sources, with newsreel footage finding a place as easily as scenes from feature films. Certain locales are contemplated throughout the years, if not always in chronological order – as every so often, Von Bagh’s montage follows an emotional logic that questions real historical developments. The Helsinki he creates is different from the slightly hilly city one can stroll through so pleasurably in summer – it’s a mythical place haunted by ghosts of ever-changing stories and buildings never seen.

Von Bagh once casually said: ‘People think I like Helsinki because I made that film; they’re mistaken.’ Or maybe he’s just in denial, for something this beautiful is always made from some kind of love.

(text by International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012)

BUBU TOWN on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

Sun 17 May 2015, 9 am – 10 pm

American Club

19 – 21 Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi

“BUBU TOWN” is a town of freedom, tolerance and equality, a place that embraces diversity and promotes freedom of expression of all kinds. BUBU stands for the town’s slogan: “BE UNIQUE. BE U”. Coming to BUBU, just leave behind all senses of inferiority and worries about people’s judgment, let bring to BUBU the self you have kept inside. Express yourself whichever way you want. Just be yourself and you are already unique.

Program:

9:00 – 22:00

• Drag, cross-dress, cosplay, dress the way you want

• Exhibitions: Diversity Celebration

9:00 – 18:00

• LGBT friendly Chic&Cheap Flea Market

• Picnic, games, group activities

• Performances, henna painting, tarot fortune-telling, etc.

11:00 – 11:30 and 17:00 – 17:30

• Flashmob và Freezing: Celebrate talents and creativity

19:30 – 22:00

• BUBU Gala: Performances by LGBT and allies (ballet, contemporary dance, modern dance, electronic music performances, etc.)

• Cat-walk: Freedom of expression

Artistic Consultant: Ms. Pham Dieu Huong, Founder and Director of An Independent Platform for Art Education, Research and Practice (CUCA)

FREE ENTRANCE FOR EVERYONE! Hotline: 0973 666 441

Celtic Festival in Vietnam 2015

HCMC: Sat 16 May 2015, 2 pm

Cargo Bar

Sun 17 May 2015, 11 am

Club House District 7

—

Nha Trang: Wed 20 May 2015, 8 pm

Patrick Wine Bar

—

Hanoi: Fri 22 May 2015, 8 pm

L’Espace

Sat 23 May 2015, 11 am

Chez Xuan

Celtic Festival will take place in Hanoi, HCMC and Nha Trang.

For this “Breton Day 2015″, the Breton society in Vietnam has invited musicians reputed throughout the world who will present all the different aspects of celtic musics from tradition to modernity. More than 40 musicians and 7 bands will perform during the Festival. Among these, The Kemperle Pipe Band, Lang Dzu band, Celtic Rock Diaouled, Alan Pennec, Jakez Lesouef, Hot Tzigani band and Turbo Sans Visa.

Ticket price: 100,000 VND (150,000 VND at the door) – Free for Students and children under 6

On 17 May and 23 May: Free admission

In Hanoi, tickets are available at:

– L’Espace Café, 24 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm

– Biniou, Ngách 15, Ngõ 1, Âu Cơ, Quảng An, Tây Hồ

– Oasis, 24 Xuân Diệu, Tây Hồ

– The Kitchen, 30 Tô Ngọc Vân, Tây Hồ

– Chez Xuân, 41 Ngõ 76 An Dương, Tứ Liên, Tây Hồ

In HCMC, tickets are available at ticketbox.vn and:

– La Crêperie, 17/7 Lê Thánh Tôn , Phường Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh

– La Plancha, 25 Trần Ngọc Diện, Phường Thảo Diền, Quận 2, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh

– Cargo Bar, 7 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Quận 4, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh

– Club House, đường Sáng Tạo, Phường Tân Thuận, Quận 7 Tp. Hồ Chí Minh

Improvised Music Concert “The Third Eye” at Manzi

Sat 16 May 2015, 8 pm

Manzi Art Space

14 Phan Huy Ich, Hanoi

Come to concert featuring Luong Hue Trinh, Thuy Chi, Kok Siew-Wai & Yong Yan-sen.

Improvised music is the creative act of composing the artworks while playing, it is the fusion of emotions, performing skills and instant reaction. The sophistication in exploiting different forms of sound from the saxophone, the diversity in human voice’s expressions are combined with dan bau in shades we have never before encountered.

Moreover, the audience will have the chance to experience the traditional and electronic music mixed together on computer, beforehand or improvised, by Vietnamese and Malaysian musicians – who will listen, feel, be on monologue or dialogue together at the concert “The third Eye”

Surcharge 100,000 VND/person. Money goes toward artists and covers organisational costs.

On Friday 15 May the artists also play at ATK.

Photo Exhibition “Going South”

Opening: Fri 15 May 2015, 7 pm

Exhibition: 16 – 17 May 2015

Chula

6 Nhat Chieu, near Water Park, Tay Ho, Hanoi

Opening hours: everyday from 9 am to 6 pm

“Going South” – A bunch of boys on small firehorses with image boxes on a cross country odyssey. 5,500kms from the most northern village Dong Van to the most southern town Ca Mau… 60 days of driving resulted in raising US$1 per km travelled for the East Meets West Foundation’s scholarship program.

On May 15th come and enjoy 30 photographs printed on archival paper and 6 short films of their adventure. There will be wine, bring some cash, some limited edition prints are going on the auction block. In case you don’t like photography you can always buy a wonderful dress.

Come and enjoy 30 photographs printed on archival paper and 6 short films of our adventure.

Participants:

Chris Lusher, Hong Kong based photographer.

Trong Tung Dzon, Hanoi based photographer.

Bachir Sareh, videographer.

Morgan Ommer, HCMC based photographer.

Free entrance.

Music Night “Unclaimed Baggage”

Sat 16 May 2015, 8.30 pm

Hanoi Rock City

27/52 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho

All noise, all punk, spirited and unshrunk. The live bands of this city, of this moment will get you drunk. On yourself. And have come together to make a show of epic sorts.

We the tortured, we the torches, invite you to a space and time that only matters if you are there.

These six live acts are making a name for themselves on the local scene with their daring, poetic presence and have been chosen to line up with each other for the very first time to get live and in your face. It’s a good time for live music right now. Boundary defiant as these artists are, we don’t know how the magic will spill out of the hat. We do know that each time they say ‘yes’ to the stage, we can anticipate something original and quite special. This time, the ear twisting electronic spines of bands like XAI and Mukang Fields will stand side by side with the stripped down punk purity of acts like Fake and Racket Riot. Solo soldiers Chad and Fantashtique are out there as well, still hunting on night’s shoulder.

There is something fun happening and there is something else happening, too. Something unclaimed. Outside of language. Something we leave now, to the belt of music.

Be there to be!

Tickets: 100,000 VND at door.

“Rise up! And Dance” – Austrian Film at European Film Festival 2015

Hanoi: Fri 15 May 2015, 8 pm

Mon 18 May 2015, 6 pm

National Cinema Center

87 Lang Ha, Hanoi

–

Danang: Sat 16 May 2015, 7.30 pm

Le Do Cinema

46 Tran Phu, Da Nang

–

HCMC: Wed 20 May 2015, 6 pm

Fri 22 May 2015, 8 pm

Cinebox 212

212 Ly Chinh Thang, D.3, HCMC

You are invited to enjoy the Austrian film in the European Film Festival 2015: “Rise up! And Dance”.

Director, Screenplay: Barbara Gräftner

Cinematographer: Robert Oberrainer

Cast: Franz Buchrieser, Larissa Marolt, Lukas Plöchl, Marjan Shaki, Vinzenz Wagner

Producer: Barbara Gräftner, Robert Winkler

Duration: 100’

Language: With German and Vietnamese subtitles

This film is not for viewers under 16 years old

When young farmer Markus falls head over heels for the lovely economy student Romi, two worlds, which can’t be more apart, collide. As they realize that they share the same passion for dancing, they both learn not only what they want in life but also how to cope with the difficulties in their relationships and family circumstances. In the end they start to live their dreams.

In front of the extraordinary landscape of the Austrian mountain backdrop, with stunning dance-moves and spectacular fusion of many different dance styles, such as hip-hop and disco fox “Rise Up! And Dance” shows a story about life, coming of age, the first love and last but not least about the magic, power and passion of dancing.

Free of charge tickets can be collected from 12 May 2015 for screenings at the following locations:

Hanoi:

Austrian Embassy (from 9 am to 4 pm), 8th floor, 53 Quang Trung, tel: (04) 39 43 30 50

Goethe Institut (from 12 pm), 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, tel: (04) 37 34 22 51

British Council (from 9.30 am), 20 Thụy Khuê, tel: (04) 3 8 436 780

National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha, tel : (04) 3 514 2856

HCMC:

Austrian Honorary Consulate (from 9 am to 4 pm), 181A, Dien Bien Phu Str, Da Kao Ward, Dist 1, tel (08) 38275766

Goethe Institut: 335/4 Dien Bien Phu, Dist 1, tel: (08) 3 9 12 52 50

British Council (from 9.30 am): 25 Le Duan, Dist 1, tel: (08) 3 8 23 28 62

Cinebox: 212 Ly Chinh Thang, Dist 3, tel: 08 3935 0610

Da Nang:

Le Do Cinema, 46 Tran Phu, tel: (0511) 3 82 25 74

Cinema & Film Distribution Centre, 68 Tran Phu, tel: (0511) 3 82 32 84

Culture Exhibition “The First Story – Hanoi under Subsidy Economy: Queuing up for the Past”

16 – 21 May 2015, 8 am – 9 pm

2nd floor, Indochina Plaza

241 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay Dist, Hanoi

The culture exhibition: “The first story: Queuing up for the past” is a lively reconstitution of Hanoi’s specific characteristics from 1975 to 1986.

Photos and exhibits of Hanoi life under subsidy economy are on display during the time of the exhibition. Moreover, visitors will have chances to watch old black-and-white movies as well as experience a familiar activity in the subsidy period: exchanging stamps and coupons for goods. Stories and experiences of witnesses who lived under the subsidy period will also be shared.

Holding the exhibition, our aim is to bring people back to timeline of Vietnam under subsidy period, to help old generations recall unforgettable moments and to educate the young about the country’s history.

Free entry.

String of Events “A Weekend of Classical and Modern Traditional Music”

15 and 16 May 2015, 8 pm

Heritage Space

Dolphin Plaza, 28 Tran Binh, My Dinh, Ha Noi

You are invited to join in String of events “A weekend of Classical and Modern Traditional music”.

Vietnamese music starts from the first civilization through the archaeological finds of musical instruments and paintings in caves. Been through the feudal dynasties, Vietnamese music industry has significant development of traits and characteristics. Vietnamese music will soon have implications and new perspectives, perfectly balance these factors from abroad with outstanding features inherent in traditional music, thereby creating various traditional music of each region as Xam singing, Cheo, Ca Tru, Ho, Cai Luong, Hue court music,….

Developed from abundant background of traditional music, special programmes – “A weekend of Classical and Modern Traditional Music” will be introduced to the audiences two nights especially “Story of the Vietnamese lullabies” (at 8pm, 15/5/2015) and “Concert of the New Hanoi Traditional group – a combination of piano, Vietnamese zither and Electronic music” (at 8pm,16/5/2015).

“Story of the Vietnamese lullabies” with the participation of Dong Kinh Classical Music group includes veterans, the class who preserved the ancient beauty of Vietnamese music such as People’s artists Thanh Hoai, Xuan Hoach, Elite artist Thanh Binh, Elite artist Vu Ngoc,…. With the voice and the instruments’ sound of talented artists, the program hopes to recreate a special music space, evoking memories of each person’s childhood with lullaby melodies in a strange stylized of Xam singing, Cheo, Ca Tru, Ho, Cai Luong, Hue court music,….as a way to preserve and conserve the essence of the traditional music will not be faded.

“Concert of the New Hanoi Traditional Group – a combination of piano and Vietnamese zither and Electronic music” is a special program, where zither – a music instrument representing Vietnamese show harmonizes with piano and the fresh sound of electronic music. Strange, unique, interesting combination promises will make strong impressions with audiences, brings them closer to Vu Nhat Tan – “A sound magician” with non-stop innovating efforts for music.

Ticket price: 120,000 VND (exclusive of drinks). (50% discount for students with valid ID card).

Live Music Event “The Music Emporium” at Hanoi Social Club in May

07, 14, 21 and 28 May 2015, 8.30 pm

Hanoi Social Club

6 Hoi Vu Str, Hanoi

The Music Emporium – a new intimate live music event at The Hanoi Social Club. 8:30pm every Thursday night.

In a 100-year-old house with classic architecture in the old quarter, lots of cozy spaces, where you can enjoy the skill of the musicians and feel the music in a more laid back environment.

Use your ears to listen to and enjoy musical stories. It’s not an “event” as such, more like people playing music in your loungeroom. Every week we have a different musician creating a set specifically for this event.

We’ll make you comfortable. It’ll be cozy, and intimate.

Tickets: 50,000 VND at the door

Gala ”An Ode to the Motherland”

Tue 19 May 2015, 8 pm

HCMC Opera House

No. 7 Lam Son Square, D.1, HCMC

Two new works (a symphony and a ballet) completed in 2015 will have their premiere at 8pm on may 19th, 2015 at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House in HBSO’s Gala “An Ode to the Motherland”. They are two important works as they mark a new development in Vietnamese classical arts.

Composer Vinh Lai’s 4-movement symphony “The Unshakable and Heoric East – Southern Motherland” has strong flavours of Southern folk songs in a uniquely colourful and creative modern context as it shows profound humanity and philosophy. There has not been many works in this standard 4-movement structure lately; this work shows a great effort and great creativity investment.

Ballet Suite “The Motherland”, choreographed by People Artists Ha The Dung, Luong Xuan Thanh and Ta Thuy Chi, music by Vu Viet Anh and La Y San, premiered in March 2015 and has made a great impression on the puublic and critics alike. The work will be performed by famed dancer Ta Thuy Chi and artists from the Experimental Theatre of the Ho Chi Minh City School of Dance.

Program

PART I:

Symphony ”The unshakable and heroic East – Southern Motherland”

I. Allegro vivace

II. Lento marciale funebre

III. Moderato – Scherzando

IV. Allegretto – con fuoco. Frestino

Performing: HBSO Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Mer. A. Trần Vương Thạch

PART II:

Suite Ballet”The Motherland”

Script & Choreography: NP. A. Hà Thế Dũng

Music: Vũ Việt Anh, La Y San

Choreography: P. A. Hà Thế Dũng, Tạ Thùy Chi, Lương Xuân Thành

Performing: Tạ Thùy Chi & students, dancers of HCMC Dance Ballet School

Tickets

Ticket price: 550,000 – 400,000 – 350,000 – 200,000 – 80,000 VND (for students only)

Booking and delivery: 08 38237419, Ms. Hương 0989874517, Ms.Huong Ly: 0908057972

At HCMC Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square

Online Booking: www.ticketbox.vn

Symphony Concert at Vietnam National Academy of Music

Sun 17 May 2015, 8 pm

Grand Concert Hall

Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts

56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

You are invited to a symphony concert with:

Conductor: Clay Couturiaux

Violin Soloists: Bui Cong Duy, Ngo Hoang Linh, My Huong, To Trinh, Duong Minh Chinh, Truong Son

and the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra

Program

Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753)

Concerto in A Minor for 4 Violins, Op.7 No.11 (1710)

Vũ Việt Chương, Nguyễn Mỹ Hương, Phan Thị Tố Trinh & Ngô Hoàng Linh– Violin Soloists

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Concerto in B minor for 4 Violins, RV 580 (1711)

Bùi Công Duy, Dương Minh Chính, Phạm Trường Sơn & Vũ Việt Chương– Violin Soloists

INTERMISSION

George FridericHandel (1685-1759)

Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749)

I. Ouverture: Adagio, Allegro, Lentement, Allegro

II. Bourrée

III. La Paix: Largo allasiciliana

IV. La Réjouissance: Allegro

V. Menuets I and II

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Capriccio espagnol, Op.34 (1887)

I. Alborada

II. Variazioni

III. Alborada

IV. Scena e canto gitano

V. Fandango asturiano

Tickets

Ticket prices: 200000, 350000, 500000 VND. All tickets available at Hanoi Opera House or can book online at ticketvn.com.

For delivery Call: 0913489858, 0983067996.

Film Screening “Le Havre”

Fri 15 May 2015, 8 pm

L’Espace

24 Trang Tien, Hanoi

You are invited to the film screening “Le Havre” (France, 2011, 93 mins) directed by Aki Kaurismäki.

“Le Havre” won the 69th annual Louis Delluc Prize at a ceremony in Paris. The prize was established to honor Louis Delluc (1890–1924), the first

French journalist to specialize in cinema and founder of the ciné-clubs.

For more information about synopsis, please see L’Espace website (in French) or refer to the Vietnamese version of this post.

Language: French with Vietnamese subtitle.

Tickets

Ticket price: 50 000 VND

Special price for members of L’Espace and students: 40 000 VND

Tickets are available at L’Espace.

Music Night “When We Meet”

Fri 15 May 2015, 8 pm

ATK

73a Mai Hac De, Hanoi

“When We Meet” – A night bringing together two of Malaysia’s leading improvisation artists in saxophone and voice, with Hanoi’s electronic artist

Luong Hue Trinh.

Featuring:

LUONG HUE TRINH [VIETNAM] – Electronics

YONG YAN-SEN [MALAYSIA] – Tenor Sax

KOK SIEW-WAI [MALAYSIA] – Voice

Program

Solo Saxophone: Yong Yan-sen

Duo Electronics and Voice: Luong Hue Trinh, Kok Siew-Wai

All together: Kok Siew-Wai, Yong Yan-sen, Luong Hue Trinh.

Tickets: 100,000 VND.

About artists

LUONG HUE TRINH – Electronics

After studying from 1998 – 2010 at the Vietnam National Academy of music, Luong Hue Trinh graduated with honors in Jazz keyboard. In 2003

she was granted Exceptional Student by the Association of Yamaha Music, Japan. Since 2010 to now, she has been approaching

electroacoustic music and being under the strong influence by SonX. Her music has been presented, exhibited, performed in Vietnam, Thailand,

Malaysia, Cambodia, Phillipines, Indonesia, China, Turkey, Denmark, US, Norway, Australia, Japan and the UK. Her work was published by the

Urban Arts Berlin in the Synthesis Vol. 1 online and tape format in a compilation of sound works by female composers from many countries in the

world.

YONG YAN-SEN – Tenor Sax

Yan-sen is an improvised saxophonist and artist-organizer. He has played at the Kuala Lumpur Contemporary Music Festival, Mosaic Festival

Singapore, Choppa Eclectic Improvised Music Festival, Turn Around Free Jazz & Improvisation Festival amongst others. Yandsen’s debut LP of

solo saxophone improvisation was released by Doubtful Sound (France) in 2013. Yan-sen, together with Darren Moore and Brian O’Reily, form

an improvised trio called Game of Patience. They have toured to Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Yan-sen and KOK Siew-Wai has

formed Reflex Reactions, an improvised duo with voice and saxophone. Yandsen is one of the founders and co-director of Kuala Lumpur

Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival (KLEX) since 2010.

KOK SIEW-WAI – Voice

SIEW-WAI is an improvised vocalist, video artist and artist-organizer. She has participated in festivals such as Kuala Lumpur Contemporary

Music Festival, Asian Meeting Festival (Japan), Playfreely (Singapore), Choppa Eclectic Improvised Music Festival (Singapore), Busan

International Video Art Festival (Korea), International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherland) and more. In February 2015, Siew-Wai joined the

Ensemble Asia Orchestra led by Otomo Yoshihide, and performed three concerts in Tokyo and Kyoto. YONG Yan-sen and Siew-Wai formed

Reflex Reactions, an improvised duo with voice and saxophones. Siew-Wai is one of the founders, festival director and curator of the Kuala

Lumpur Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival (KLEX).

Exhibition “Behind the Wall” with Lolo Zazar

Exhibition: 12 – 31 May 2015

L’Espace

24 Tràng Tiền, Hà Nội

You are invited to the exhibition “Behind the Wall” by Lolo Zazar.

Lolo Zazar has been familiar with the Vietnam’s walls since he took the photos of Khoan Cat Be Tong with phone number. Moreover, he is passionate about all the form of surfaces, whether metal, wood, concrete or plaster, each of which brings different message and opens another world, dreamlike and fantastic.

The Ombre Chinoise technique can transform these surfaces into living pictures surreptitiously.

The wall is no longer a pretext, which opens to something else. Firstly there is a wall, and then, on closer look, behind the wall there is something else…

Free entrance.

KLEX Tropical Seasonings Hanoi Screening

Sun 17 May 2015, 7 pm

Goethe-Institut Hanoi

56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

You are invited to KLEX Tropical Seasonings Hanoi screening – KLEX Special Programme, hosted by Hanoi DOCLAB.

TROPICAL SEASONINGS

Total Run Time: 75 minutes

After Screening Q&A with Filmmaker & Curator KOK Siew-Wai

“Tropical Seasonings” is a special KLEX screening program featuring 12 short videos from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, UK and USA. The program includes works from artists originally from South East Asia, and foreign artists who have traveled to the region and make work about it. The programme offers different perspectives experiencing life in the region: the residents’ experiences and the visitors’ observations. Featuring artists include Andrew Stiff, AU Sow-Yee, Azharr Rudin, CHEW Win-Chen, Debora Bernagozzi, Jason Bernagozzi, KOK Siew-Wai, LIM Chee-Yong, Maulana M Pasha, Taiki Sakpisit, WONG Eng-Leong and Wuttin Chansataboot.

LIST OF WORKS:

LULAI (2014)

LIM Chee Yong, Malaysia, 6:30 min

This video is about a group of Bajau Laut and Bajau Darat people from Mabul island, off the south-eastern coast of Sabah, East Malaysia. They have no nationality and are unremarkable from world population statistics.

GONG XI FA CAI PART 2 (2012)

Andrew Stiff, UK/Malaysia, 3:30 mins

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Part 1 & 2, is a two part exploration of a small town during the Chinese New Year celebration. Filmed in Mantin Negri Sembilan, the focus is on the shop house infrastructure of the town, as a backdrop to the celebrations of the Chinese New Year. As ‘modernisation’ grips Malaysia, and South east Asia, we are in danger of losing the heart of our towns and cities, as has been seen many times in the West.

GREEN CLOUD TEMPLE (2012)

Debora Bernagozzi, USA, 7:40 min

This video is shot at the Cheng Hoon Teng or Green Clouds Temple in Melaka, one of the oldest continuously operating temples in Malaysia. Watching people perform the same motions as generations of their ancestors, seeing faded photographs of persons long deceased, the chants, the smell of incense, the flickering light of candles – I was so immersed in that moment.

RUINS I (2011)

Au Sow-Yee, Malaysia, 4:30 min

The lightning speed of forgetting.

FLOW (2011)

CHEW Win-Chen, Malaysia, 3:00 min

Humans leave traces in nature throughout their life. Amid of pursuing their own good, the surroundings are often neglected and left to be swept away by the waves of modernization. The footage and audio recorded at Kampung Sungai Batu, Kedah, Malaysia.

MUD GAME (2014)

KOK Siew Wai, Malaysia, 3:40 min

Kuala Lumpur has a high density of construction sites, especially in the city centre. You cannot drive more than 5km without seeing one of these sites. They have become part of the city landscape. Most of the time, I’m quite annoyed by them. But this day, through my viewfinder, I’ve managed to have a little fun with them.

COLORFOOL (2002)

Azharr Rudin, Malaysia, 4:23 min

A little music video filmed in Taman Wahyu (Revelation Garden) and Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square/Plain) in Kuala Lumpur. An attempt to visualize Terry Calier and Charles Stepney’s ‘What Color is Love’.

16 X 9 CAPSULE (2014)

Wuttin Chansataboot (Thailand), 6:40 min

“16×9 Capsule” shows fragments of time and incidents taking place at particular locations around Bangkok. Camera observed different situations in various

conditions, ranging from trivial moments in a ordinary day to crucial circumstances in political history of Thailand. Metaphorically, each place used as background in the video is defined as a receptacle of temporal matters, exploring a Buddhist concept saying that everything keeps rising, standing and cessation. They eternally and inevitably change. Only memory remains as an evidence of their existence.

THE ENDLESS STEPS (2006)

Maulana M Pasha, Indonesia, 7:00 min

A town construction forcing the society to make its own maps, street names, and houses. So, can I visit you, my friend? It’s like when you go find an address in the urban areas of Jakarta, and you are suddenly trapped in a labyrinth where you don’t know exactly the roads like on an official map. It’s so difficult to find an address because there are too many pathways (or ‘rat ways’, as called by the locals) in towns like Jakarta. Direction from a friend is almost useless. Official directions changed often, and home addresses are no longer certain, but manual direction become useful to determine which way to go. A kind of ‘organic’ map created by people who live there. A peek to the living reality of Jakarta, the most populated city in South East Asia.

MIST (2012)

WONG Eng Leong, Malaysia, 3:50 min

A nation that is seemingly well-developed and peaceful, shattered by a mere demonstration of the people’s will. Why is the people’s democracy incarcerated? When those in power fail to address the rights of the people, should the people not contemplate and decide for our future? We only hope for our voices to be heard.

MEMORY AND RITUAL IN FRAME DIFFERENCE (2012)

Jason Bernagozzi, USA/Malaysia, 8:40 min

Memory and Ritual in Frame Difference is a work that was produced during an artist residency in Malaysia, which was sponsored in part by KLEX and Multimedia University. This work is a meditation on the complex relationships between ritual and public space at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In a space shared by both devout hindus and tourists, the frame difference processing allows the viewer to focus on action and change within the recording. Electronic insights of body vernacular happening in mediated time.

A RIPE VOLCANO (2011)

Taiki Sakpisit, Thailand, 15:00 min

A Ripe Volcano allegorizes Bangkok as a site of mental eruption of emotionally devastated land during the heights of terrors, primal fears, trauma, and the darkness of time. A Ripe Volcano revisits The Rattanakosin Hotel, the site where the military troops captured and tortured the civilians, students and protesters who were hiding inside the hotel during the Black May of 1992; and Rajadamnern Stadium, a Roman amphitheatre styled Muay Thai boxing arena, which was built in 1941-45 during the Second World War and since then has become the theatrical labyrinth of physical and mental explosions.

ABOUT THE CURATOR:

Siew-Wai Kok is a video artist, improvised vocalist and independent artist-organizer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She received her B.A. at SUNY Buffalo, and M.F.A. at Alfred University, USA. Siew-Wai has shown her videos and performed improvised music locally and internationally in Asia, Europe, Canada and USA, such as Busan International Video Art Festival, Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Les Rencontres Internationales, Beyond/In Western New York Biennial, Kuala Lumpur Contemporary Music Festival, Asian Meeting Festival (Japan) and many more. Siew-Wai sets up SiCKL (Studio in Cheras Kuala Lumpur), an alternative artist collective with her peers in 2006, and organizes many DIY experimental video screenings and music gigs since then. This experience has led her to take up the role as festival director & curator of the artist-run Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival (KLEX) since 2010. She is currently teaching at the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film, Video & Music Festival (KLEX) KLEX is an independent, artist-run grassroots international festival of experimental film, video art and music founded in Malaysia in 2010 by a cross-disciplinary group of artists. KLEX aims to serve as a platform to introduce contemporary experimental cinema and music from the region and worldwide to the Malaysian audience, as well as to introduce works from South East Asia to other parts of the world, to cultivate understanding, learning, friendship and exchange among local, regional and international experimental art communities.

Contact: info@klexfilmfest.com

Exhibition “New Painting from Germany”

Opening: Tue 14 May 2015, 5 pm

Exhibition: 15 – 31 May 2015, 9 am – 5 pm

Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts

56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of German-Vietnamese diplomatic relations the Goethe-Institut, in collaboration with the art association Haus am Lützowplatz (HaL) in Berlin and the National Museum of Fine Arts, is introducing a new generation of German artists.

The exhibition which was hosted by the Goethe Institut in Hong Kong until mid-April under the direction of Gabriele Gauler now comes to Hanoi. Six artists with international reputation are presenting their positions in contemporary painting. All of them refer in different ways to art history. The result varies from large-scale formatted figurative painting and architectural forms up to smaller scale cabinet pieces on wood.

The curator of the exhibition is art historian Dr. Marc Wellmann, artistic director of the Haus am Lützowplatz (HaL) in Berlin.

The exhibition presents the works of six artists which already achieved an excellent reputation worldwide. They will explain their positions to the contemporary art scene whereby all of them refer in different ways to well-known elements of art history.

The result is manifold and ranges from large-scale formatted figurative painting and architectural forms up to smaller scale cabinet pieces on wood.

With an introduction by the curator Dr. Marc Wellmann from Berlin at the opening of the exhibition.

The artists:

In her paintings Stefanie Gutheil (*1980) lends expression to an inner world of fantasy. In many of her works she takes reference to German Expressionism.

Florian Meisenberg (*1980) paints weightless objects on flag-like canvases that are casually suspended from the wall or hung on small cornices, ultimately subverting their pictoriality. Born in Berlin he now lives in New York City.

Uwe Henneken (*1974) mixes motifs from classic romantic painting with elements of trash culture.

Sebastian Neeb (*1980) paints, takes photos, constructs objects – using different materials. He quotes famous motifs of art history, uses private photos and thus develops new events and relations.

Abstract painting and graphics is the focus of Tanja Rochelmeyer (*1975). Her strict geometrical arrangements are generated in the computer before she brings them on the canvas.

Christoph Ruckhäberle (*1972) is considered as a representative of the “New Leipzig School”. His paintings are mostly figurative with abstract elements and extremely colorful.

New Circus “What is Left”

Thu 14 May 2015, 8 pm

Youth Theater

11 Ngô Thì Nhậm, Hà Nội

New Circus “What is left” was born from the encounter of two Chinese pole acrobats, Joao Paulo Dos Santos and Guillaume Amaro, with the new look of director Olivier Antoine.

Inspired by a Sacks’s short story, the performance depicts a man without memory, stuck in the constantly changing and meaningless time. A real person? The product of our imagination? The reflection of ourselves?

“What is left” transcends the limits of Chinese pole and mixes dance, acrobatics on the ground and the mast, music and video.

Art Director: João Paulo Dos Santos

Director: Olivier Antoine

Performers: Guillaume Amaro, João Paulo P. Dos Santos

Music: Marek Hunhap

Lighting design: Nicolas Le Clézio and Alrik Reynaud

Technical: Alrik Reynaud

Costumes: Fanny Mandonnet

Distribution: Flora Vitel

They also perform in HCMC on May 16 2015.

Tickets

Ticket price: 160 000 VND

Special price for members of L’Espace and students: 80 000 VND

Tickets are available at L’Espace.

Exhibition “Reinhard Kleist: Comics and Graphic Novels”

Exhibition: 10 – 31 May 2015, 9 am – 7 pm

Goethe-Institut Hanoi

56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

From 10th to 31th of May the award-winning German graphic artist Reinhard Kleist presents selected illustrations at the Goethe-Institut. The exhibition shows extracts and illustrations from six of his graphic novels, including two illustrations from his so far unpublished biography about the singer Nick Cave.

Graphic Novels often deal with historic, political, and social topics. Reinhard Kleist, too, picks up these issues and develops his plot mainly by reference to individual cases. His latest publication “The Dream of Olympia” tells the story of the sprinter Samia Yusuf Omar who represented Somalia at the Olympic Games in 2008 in Peking. Her dream of Olympia ends tragically, when she drowns offshore of Malta during her escape from Islamic extremists.

A Friendship Evening of Vietnamese Classical and Traditional Music

Tue 12 May 2015, 7 – 8.30 pm

Lac Long Quan Street (khu Vuon Dao)

From Friends of Vietnam Heritage:

Join FVH for a special evening of Vietnamese classical and traditional music hosted at a villa by West Lake. This ‘soiree’ event will incorporate a variety of musical styles and singing in an intimate and relaxed setting. Light refreshments will be served.

Featured in the program will be: pianist Ton that Triem, an international prize winner and manager of The Hope Choir and Folk Music Instrument Ensemble; soprano Nguyen xuan Thanh, also an international prize winner; and an ensemble of five talented vision-impaired students from the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, playing traditional Vietnamese instruments and selected folk melodies from the North, Center, and South of Vietnam.

Limit: 20 people

Cost: 150.000 VND

Sign-up required: send an email to Helen at helenshuntley@yahoo.com

Fine Arts Exhibition “Territorial Sea, Island and Navy Soldiers”

Exhibition: 05 – 20 May 2015

Vietnam University of Fine Arts

42 Yết Kiêu, Hà Nội

To commemorate 60th anniversary of Vietnam People’s Navy (07 May 1955 – 07 May 2015), Vietnam University of Fine Arts together with Vietnamese Navy launches the art exhibition titled “Territorial Sea, Island and Navy Soldiers”.

36 artworks including paintings, graphics, sculpture, photography in different materials such as oil, acrylic, carved wood, natural color, watercolor, metal, composites, synthetic materials contributed by Vietnam University of Fine Arts will be featured in this exhibition. Not only do they show the beauty of territorial sea, islands and Navy soldiers but also express the love and belief towards people who are day and night defending the sacred sea and island sovereignty of the Vietnam.

European Film Festival 2015 in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC

Hanoi: 15 – 24 May 2015

National Cinema Center

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Danang: 16 – 25 May 2015

Le Do Cinema

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HCMC: 17 – 28 May 2015

Cinebox 212

UPDATE 1: “One Day in Europe” – German Film in European Film Festival 2015 – An award-winning multilingual film looking at people in Europe with different characters and the amusing misunderstandings that cross-cultural communication often provides. All take place on one single day in different cities.

UPDATE 2: “Rise up! And Dance” – Austrian Film at European Film Festival 2015 – The opening film of the festival, “Rise up! And Dance” shows a story about life, coming of age, the first love, the passion of dancing among magnificent landscape of Austria’s mountains.

The European Film Festival 2015 (EFF2015) will officially commence in three major cities of Vietnam – Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City on 15 May, 16 May and 17 May 2015 respectively. This annual cultural event is jointly organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, the Embassies of EU Member States and the European Cultural Institutes. This 16th edition of the festival is also a highlight among several activities held by the Delegation of the European Union in Vietnam throughout 2015 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the EU-Vietnam diplomatic ties.

The two-week long EFF2015 showcases Europe’s fascinating diversity and rich cinema tradition, portrayed in 13 films from 13 different EU Member States. Through various genres ranging from children films, drama, romance, thriller, comedy to documentary, the festival expects to offer cinema lovers from all walks of life an enjoyable experience regardless their tastes. This is also a collection of dreams, passion, fear and frustration, fun and joy, mistakes and recognition – for everyone. Films screened are recent and have encountered success in their country of origin. Some of the films have won highly acclaimed international awards and been selected in international film festivals.

“Cinema has successfully shared diverse cultures, people, histories and perspectives to audiences from across the globe for over a century. As the birthplace of cinematography and home to a number of prestigious international film festivals, Europe is renowned for its cinema heritage. This year again we are proud to introduce this firework of European cultural diversity and creativity to Vietnamese audiences”, said Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, Ambassador – Dr. Franz Jessen.

Held for the first time in 2000, the European Film Festival has become a much-anticipated annual cultural event Vietnam. It has established itself as a credible avenue to bring new and captivating aspects of European culture to the attraction of Vietnamese people, by showcasing films that would otherwise not be shown in Vietnamese commercial cinemas.

“By maintaining the presentation of European silver screen world in Vietnam, the European Union hopes to break down language and cultural barriers aiming to bring the two peoples closer. The European Union is ambitious about an even more solid partnership and brighter future with Vietnam, and we access that the cultural bridge is an essential key to that”, added Ambassador Jessen.

This cinematic event is part of a broader series of “Europe Days 2015” events clustered around Europe Day (9 May), a cycle which since its inception in 2004 has gained a high profile in the cultural life of Vietnamese people.

The European Film Festival 2015 will take place at:

Hanoi: National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha Str.

Danang: Le Do Cinema, 46 Tran Phu Str.

HCMC: Cinebox 212, 212 Ly Chinh Thang Str., Ward 9, District 3

See detailed film schedule at 25yearseuvietnam.vn/film:

In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city all films will be screened in two sessions. In Danang, each film will be screened once. All films will be screened with Vietnamese subtitles.

Free of charge tickets can be collected from 12 May 2015 for screenings at the following locations:

Hanoi:

Goethe Institut, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, tel: (04) 37 34 22 51, from 12 pm

British Council, 20 Thụy Khuê, tel: (04) 3 8 436 780, from 9.30 am

National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha, tel : (04) 3 514 2856

HCMC:

Goethe Institut: 335/4 Dien Bien Phu, District 1, tel: (08) 3 9 12 52 50

British Council: 25 Le Duan, D.1, tel: (08) 3 8 23 28 62, from 9.30 am

Cinebox: 212 Ly Chinh Thang, D.3, tel: 08 3935 0610

Da Nang:

Le Do Cinema, 46 Tran Phu, tel: (0511) 3 82 25 74

Cinema & Film Distribution Centre, 68 Tran Phu, tel: (0511) 3 82 32 84

Exhibition by Vietnamese artists Doan Hoang Lam and Doan Xuan Tang in USA

Thu 07 May 2015, 6 pm

Exhibition: 07 May – 31 Jul 2015

International Modern Art Gallery

1802 Sunset Blvd, Houston, Texas

You are invited to the exhibition of collection of paintings done by two established Vietnamese artists: Doan Hoang Lam and Doan Xuan Tang: SHADES OF TIME by Doan Hoang Lam and PORTRAITS OF LIGHTS by Doan Xuan Tang.

SHADES OF TIME

Vietnamese artist Doan Hoang Lam is a painter of the unseen, of the ephemera of processions, of life cycles, of the tantalizing cerebral realms of desire, orchestrated with a precision and sense of weightlessness that draws the viewer in, like walking through an alluring evening fog. An accomplished and well-regarded artist, Lam has been featured in numerous group shows and solo exhibits in Thailand and Vietnam. However, this exhibit “Shades of Time” is the first opportunity for the American public to experience Lam’s artistry.

These often indecipherable yet beautiful works function as painterly allusions to the ceremonial and visual culture of Vietnam, too long oppressed and hidden, particularly unseen in this part of the world and as such are particularly meaningful and rich.

Much of Lam’s work moves beyond description, and lives in the world invented by the artist himself, a type of Objective Abstraction, with a strong emphasis on painterly activity, gesture and calligraphic flickering forms. For example, the cobalt ribbon of Procession 6 (2014) seems at first to be an element of a purely abstract painting. However, the work is part of a series responding to the processional ceremony, a key cultural form of expression in Vietnam. Without depicting the objects naturalistically, the artist still evokes a moving and shimmering image of a moment of activity, in number six, the black masses of figures are alight with red spots of pigments, and they hold the dragon like form aloft with long rods. A related work Procession 4 (2014) seems as if it has been made underwater, like an Ebru painting, the images emerge and bubble forth, stirred by the painter’s brush. An inverted oceanic scene, it resembles a Rorschach blot, stone etching, the waves and sky becoming one. Black clouds contrast and recall the luminosity of American artist Sam Francis’ bright gestural paintings.

In Lam’s work, the evocation of feeling, experience and state of mind are paramount, and this is a concern he shares with early twentieth century Expressionist artists, particular in the figural drawings, where a thick black line gives corporeality, a thin ragged line shows movement, and a certain sexual rawness. In fact, a visceral sensibility in the nude series is present, reminding one of the shocking raw drawings of Viennese artists Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele. In this series, Lam’s impressionistic background emphasizes texture, scratched, etched, visible paint marks, scraping away of pigment contrasting with areas of heavy impasto. Gray Nude (2008) combines this Expressionist sensibility with classical figurative sketching, his heroically proportioned model framed by roundels of white. In works like this, we see the painter’s training in both the fine arts and theater has influenced his style, particularly the choreography of each composition and the prominence on gesture.

Some of the processional works such as Procession No. 2 (2014) are a somber brown and grey, reminding one of the end of season or life cycle, the visible faces wearing worn or terrified looks, and works such Lam’s bright yellow study Mother and Child (2014) remind one of the late Ecuadorian artist Eduardo Kingman who uses similar artistic techniques of building and taking away paint, of depicting cultural traditions, and solemn topics such as universal sorrows and exaltations such as motherhood, children, death, illness and loss. Such comparisons are not made to elevate the position of the artist, but rather are an attempt to frame the meanings and forms of Lam’s production.

For his part, Lam’s work possess a spirituality, abstract and figural works are characterized by a sense of painterly veiling, and layers of translucent paint create tapestries of foggy realms, a space of dreams and weightlessness. While many might say that abstract work is simplistic, in fact the construction of composition, combination of color and texture is highly elusive and often the more amateur results are muddied. However, in Lam’s work we feel awash with elements: gray mist, cool lakes and oceanic waves. Layers allow a translucent sensibility as does a masterful scraping away of pigment to depict depth and movement.

Evading decipherment or overt symbolism, Lam poetically expresses these thematics in work that reminds one of Art informel or Tachism, the lush application of pigment rules the waves of the oceanic surfaces of these adroit pictures. Think of the German abstractionists’ techniques such as Gerhard Richter’s scraped surface or the watery tentacles of Carl Bucheister’s chromatic works and the British artist Rodrigo Moynihan’s vagaries and terrains. This new body of work is eerily immersive; one feels as if you have fallen into a timeless space, echoes, and rainy air all about. (RJH Berland, May 2015)

PORTRAITS OF LIGHTS

In Portraits of Light, Doan Xuan Tang’s impressionistic paintings favor the observations of an ethnographer’s memories within indigenous terrain. By seeking creative inspiration in native landscapes, Tang joins the likeness of artists Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, and Andre Derain while blending the influence of Neo-impressionism and the brightness of fauvism. The emotional qualities within the paintings draw the viewer into his narrative in the same way that poetic field notes serve as part documentation and part expression. Most importantly, Tang’s passionate work translates his experiences of studying the cultural landscapes of the remote mountainous Northwest Vietnam, luring us above and underneath the surface to see the beauty in historical topography and culture.

Tang’s vivid imagery preserves memories, narratives and customs, and tributes the mountain regions of Vietnam as an inspiration to modernist thought and his own cultural history. The works use contrasting paint streaks with representational details, while connecting symbolic references from the past to the future. His paintings remind us that our view of portraiture and cultural surroundings can be expanded to include images that are full of energetic colors, lines, and textures.

Trained at the Hanoi Fine Arts University, Tang blends cultural painting traditions seamlessly and meaningfully. In Tang’s portraits such as, “Mountaineer Children,” he paints Hmong children with expressive detail and empathy. The four children are adorned in customary dress and speak to the complicated, simplicity of their lives; yet, Tang does not shy away from referencing the origins of modernism’s legacy within the mountain landscape: nearly all of the children (except for one) appear gazing at the viewer. Tang plays with the stimulation and placement of color in the background as both illustrative skyscapes and flat abstract paintings. The children become flat and multi-dimensional; traditional and modern all together.

Likewise, in landscapes like “Khu vuon yêu (Love Garden),” Tang’s skies mimic multi-iridescent tones and hues. Tang is interested in representing the shades of mountain culture against contrasting nature spaces. The dabs and streaks of paint form landscapes of wildlife, which are rich with representational and nonrepresentational qualities.

Tang’s abstract paintings are dreamlike, relics from a historic time that have been reclaimed through line and mark. Like ancient scenes on screen the light in each painting flows in and out with tones that fade into its surroundings. Delicate strokes of gleaming lights hover over each image in a sacred harmony.

All works from Portraits of Light promise to be paintings worth seeing. Though Tang’s work has been exhibited widely abroad, the upcoming exhibition at the International Modern Art Gallery marks Tang’s first exhibition in the United States. Each painting in the series displays a different ray of brilliance and an awareness of distinct visual encounters. Tang’s ability to paint light not only display’s his sensitivity to everyday life but confirms his value within contemporary art. (Lauren Cross)

Roundtable Discussion “Which Book did You Read Yesterday?” at L’Espace

Wed 13 May 2015, 6 pm

L’Espace

24 Tràng Tiền, Hà Nội

You are invited to the roundtable discussion “Which book did you read yesterday?” with the participation of Professor, Educationalist Nguyen Thuy Anh, Painter Kim Duan and Literary critic Luu Khanh Tho.

The book market for the children is promising, but what did Vietnamese authors and publishers do? Among the books translated from other languages, what is the role of Vietnamese authors? How to reconcile education and enjoyment in books dedicated to youth? During this program, the speakers will share their experience and discuss the books chosen by parents for their children.

Language: Vietnamese

Free entrance.