Sculptures and paintings that express life through colours and shapes are on display as part of the Art in the Forest 2016 (AITF) programme.

Foreign object: Seeds, steel, 1,970kg, by Nguyen Ngoc Lam

AITF is a visual art project organised by Flamingo Dai Lai Resort in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. After the success of AITF 2015, a camp for artists was held from July to October this year. This exhibition is the result of the creative process of the artists.

The exhibition features five impressive sculptures inspired by nature, including Seeds by Nguyễn Ngọc Lâm, Tropical Rain by Le Lang Luong, Strength of Earth by Dam Dang Lai, Connection by Khong Do Tuyen, and more specifically, Forest of Sunlight by Japanese artist Katsumi Mukai.

The artists were provided with good conditions in which to work. The large space at the resort also allows them to create imposing sculptures which weigh several tonnes and cover large areas.

Mukai, 80, impressed visitors with his 26-tonne artwork made from ironwood, a tremendous feat considering his age.

“I always love working and creating,” he said. “I worked on large-size artworks when I was young, so now when I’m getting old, I still work without getting tired.”

“Ironwood is a precious and rare material that I don’t have chance to work with in Japan. When I completed the Forest of Sunlight, I used the pieces of wood left over to create smaller artworks.”

Mukai has exhibited his work once in Vietnam at the exhibition Echoes of Nature organised at the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts.

The sculpture Forest of Sunlight is inspired by Vietnamese nature. During his three-month stay in Vietnam, local nature and culture impressed him so much that he preserved the feeling and memories in sketches and paintings, like a visual diary. Mukai said he expected that one day he will showcase the artworks created during his time in Vietnam.

Alongside these sculptures, visitors can also see 14 works by painters Pham Tuan Tu and Trinh Minh Tien on different materials like canvas, wood, and even automobile hoods. Despite different materials and inspirations, they still focus on a common subject – religion and belief. That’s why they collaborated on the exhibition entitled Paradise’s Shadow.

Space for art

AITF was officially launched in 2015 after years of preparation, with the aim of changing the site to a culture and art centre which keeps and promotes contemporary artworks in Vietnam.

 “It includes unlimited creative criteria of ideas, materials, sizes and way of organisation,” said artist, curator Vu Hong Nguyen, chief organiser of the programme.

“We desire to find emerging people working in the imaging fields with talent, enthusiasm, timeless art thinking and wish to become a professional artist. We have chosen among various art forms, outdoor sculpture and paintings as the main starting point for AITF.”

In fact, beside new forms of composition, Vietnam’s contemporary sculpture is still facing challenges and difficulties in finding its position in the market, he said.

“Sculptural works need space and landscape connection – important factors to create overall value for the works. For not only sculpture but also other visual art forms, AITF will hopefully be a new wind to encourage artists to compose excellent works.”

At present Vietnam has not had large and long-term project for arts like AITF, so Nguyen stressed that this project will bring good things for art at this time. Plans for AITF have been made for the next 10 years. 

VNS