Date:novembre 22, 2016
Tags:concours
3. The exhibition
The D-Day, on Saturday the 13th September, I arrived in Saigon by Vietnam Airlines after nineteen hours of travel from Geneva to Saigon and Paris via Dubai and I rush to the gallery of the Association of Fine Arts to attend the press conference. All artists are there as many journalists. The « press releases » are distributed and then we are ready for the family picture. On the evening, meeting of the board members except Suzanne Lecht, member of the Jury, which will only arrived the following Wednesday. We discuss, we commented, the atmosphere is excellent and it’s party.
The jury of the contest was to be composed of:
Mr. Dao Minh Tri, Artist and Assistant Secretary General of the Association of HCMC Fine Arts, member of the Council of the City (5)
Mr. Ca Le Thang, Artist and Editor-in-chief of the HCMC Fine Arts, member of the Council of the City,
Mr. Ho Huu Thu, Artist and Member of the Council of the City, Specialist in Contemporary Art (4)
Marc Hurner, Collector, Director of the H & S Gallery, Brussels, organizer of exhibitions in Switzerland, art critic (2)
Suzanne Lecht, Art Consultant, organization of exhibitions including the exhibition « The changing face of Hanoi » in Hong Kong, Activity leader of artistic life in Hanoi and friend of many painters (3)
However, in extremis, Mr. Ca Le Thang was replaced by Mr. Nguyen Trung, one of the most renowned painters of Vietnam, known for his abstract paintings valued and admired far beyond the borders (1)
The opening of the exhibition was held on Sunday the 14th September around 10 am in the presence of Ms. Pham Phuong Thao, Deputy Chairman of People Committee of HCMC, which gave us the honor of a welcome presence for all artists. More than 200 people listened to some speeches for the occasion and then it was the discovery of works and appetizers, all in a very nice simplicity. On the evening, the event was commented on the news and the press has widely reported the event.
And yet the next day, the organizers were asked to withdraw from the exhibition four paintings that were too far from the cultural tradition of Vietnam. These four works are respectively the work of Dao Minh Tri and Ca Le Thang! This initiative speaks for itself, especially in Vietnam where all is doing in order and without excessive bitterness. I was surprised but, taking up arms against a sea of sorrows, the show went on, hoping that the works can still be shown abroad. It will be the case except for the paintings of Dao Minh Tri as we are committed not to expose. It’s a shame but so is the harmony of worlds that discovered themselves and require compromises that will seem very outdated in a few years.
expositionThe jury met on Thursday the 11th September for almost three hours to deliberate. Each selected the winners according to a conscious method of voting in secret. It is good to mention here that works by artists Dao Minh Tri, Ca Le Thang and Ho Huu Thu, all members of the jury, did not participate in the competition so we had to choose between 20 artists.
The three winners were chosen within a beautiful harmony and in an amazing atmosphere:
The painting “Man and Woman” of the artist Tran Thanh Lam, a wonderful painter sadly passed away in July ’97 of liver disease. This work is undoubtedly one of his finest achievements, marked by sadness and a universal symbolism.
The painting “artist’s family” of La Hon was then chosen. La Hon is a master of chiaroscuro but his works are generally very dark and scary. He willingly painted allegories of death in different forms. On the opposite, the awarded painting is a highly pure picture of the triangular traditional family with a child who looks with open eyes the future.
Finally, it is Dao Hoang Tuong, who won the third prize with a strong work, illustration of the suffering of a society in danger of losing its traditional values, family.
Finally, we were all very pleased with these choices, although many other artists could be one of the trio selected. The prices ceremony was very moving and we all keep a deep memory.
Such is life. Good luck to this exhibition which will move to galleries in Brussels, Paris, Tokyo and San Francisco over the next twelve months. These works are somehow a testament to contemporary art in Vietnam in 1997, a project that achieves and that carries a hope for many artists, the beginning of many adventures and dreams.
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