Sàn Art, a non-profit fine arts organisation in HCM City, has launched a residency camp for visual artists living in Việt Nam and other Southeast Asian countries. 

A visual work by Akusa Chunchue, who joined the free curatorial training programme called Uncommon Pursuits organised by Sàn Art, a non-profit fine arts organisation last year in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of Sàn Art

The participants will take part in a free five-month-long camp in HCM City called A.Farm. They will join workshops and discussions in contemporary fine arts, exhibition-making  and projects.  

The camp will also include field trips and visits to local museums and galleries. 

After the camp, the artists will have a chance to showcase their works and further develop their career.

A.Farm is open to Southeast Asian nationals who are young and have an interest in contemporary art, and have a view of why they want to work at the camp and how they benefit from it. 

The camp will be held in HCM City from June to November.

The participants will receive a travel fund of US$220, a production cost of $850, and a monthly expense of $180 per person.

They will receive support from curators and art professionals, including Brian Curtin, Simon Soon, Zoe Butt and Clare Butcher, who have co-operated with Sàn Art and worked in Asia, Europe and the US.

Applicants should send a CV and a portfolio in PDF form with full details of their selected artworks, including images, titles, sizes and media.

A cover letter explaining what the applicant aims to achieve personally and professionally during working at A.Farm is also required.

All documents, in Vietnamese or English, should be sent under the title “Inquiry: Residency at A.Farm” to the organiser’s email at a.farm.saigon@gmail.com before April 30.

Sàn Art began its activities in 2007 and has offered cultural and arts exchanges, training programmes, shows and exhibitions. It has attracted dozens of skilled Vietnamese and foreign artists.

One of its featured programmes last year was a free curatorial training programme called Uncommon Pursuits.

The programme helped its participants study contemporary curatorial practices in different fields, such as curating art in the contemporary world; education, writing, editing; research practices; and thinking through curating.

Introductory training in primary research methodologies was also included.  

Painter and curator Đỉnh Quang Lê, a founder of Sàn Art, has a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a master of fine arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

He has displayed his art in Sydney, New York, Washington DC and Việt Nam.

Born in 1968, Lê emigrated to the US when he was 10 years old. He first visited Việt Nam in 1993 and later decided to develop his career in HCM City.

After living and working in the city for 10 years, he and three friends opened Sàn Art in 2007.

 “We hope to expose Vietnamese artists, particularly young people, to a worldwide audience,” said Lê. — VNS