I met artist Hoang Duong Cam on an art trip to Vietnam in 2007 and was immediately struck by the impact of his artwork—at once deeply personal and thoughtful as well as fantastically creative and culturally relevant.  As I perused his website I came across a diverse range of recent and upcoming work.  I asked if I could send him a few questions with hopes of possibly unveiling a deeper understanding of the influences behind his art making…  he generously agreed. LT:   When did you know you … [Read more...]

By: Lauren Quinn The best cup of coffee—or rather, glass of coffee, tinkling with ice cubes and a teeny spoon for stirring—I had in Hoi An wasn’t at one of the wicker-chair, wifi-ready terrace cafes with an English menu. Sure, those were nice too: to sit and look out on the lantern-lined pedestrian streets and tailor shops and footbridges and the grey strip of water on which paper-mache Tet floats and old wooden boats nodded “yes, yes.” But those were more of the ambiance. The best … [Read more...]

By: Hal Medrano True confession: I like opera. I've been attending performances and listening to recordings since I was a boy. For a few seasons, I was even a subscribing member of the Pittsburgh Opera. So when a friend scored free tickets to a recent performance of La Bohème at the Hanoi Opera House (Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội) , I was happy to go and see how the locals put on a show. Although opera is commonly considered high-brow, upper-class entertainment, it should be remembered that, for … [Read more...]

During the French colonization of Vietnam several French artists set up the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in 1925 in Hanoi, the capital. This was to become the leading institute for the progression of art and its gradutes were the pioneers of contemporary art in Vietnam. Since the school’s establishment, Vietnamese artists have favoured painting in the Western medium. However, even before the French influence in Vietnam existed, the people of this country maintained their own … [Read more...]

(Originally published in The Guide, June 2011) David Lloyd Son talks to Tran Luu Hau about art, beauty, the self and what continues to allow his work to thrive: freedom We arrive at Tran Luu Hau’s home on a sodden Hanoi morning and are warmly greeted by the artist.  First impressions are of a measured, dignified, modest gentleman. Once he has established that we are settled we are invited to view his works which hang from every wall. On the first floor, there’s one sofa and twelve … [Read more...]

The work of these four immensely influential artists laid the essential groundwork for creative change, setting the scene for the work of the new generation which came to the fore during the early 1980s and included Nguyễn Trung (b 1940), Đỗ Sơn (b 1943), Nguyễn Quân (b 1948), Ca Lê Thắng (b 1949), Lê Anh Vân (b 1952), Đào Minh Tri (b 1950), Phan Thị Gia Hương (b 1951), Đặng Thị Khuê (b 1946), Đỗ Thị Ninh (b 1947), Lương Xuân Đoàn (b 1952), Nguyễn Tấn Cương (b 1953), Lê Huy Tiếp (b 1951) and … [Read more...]

By: Lisa Spivey You may have seen them before. They adorn the walls of Vietnamese restaurants everywhere in the world, there may be one hiding by the cash register at the neighborhood Vietnamese business, your Vietnamese friends hang them up as Lunar New Year approaches. In Vietnam, production of these folk paintings peaks right before Tet as merchants stock up in anticipation of heavy customer demand. These paintings are traditionally used to decorate homes for the New Year festival. We … [Read more...]

Whenever somebody mentions contemporary Vietnamese art, there are a few names that spring to the mind right away. Of these, among the very first ones that come to mind, is Bui Huu Hung. Undoubtedly, Bui Huu Hung is one of the most popular artists to have emerged from the Vietnamese art scene in recent times. Born in 1957, Bui Huu Hung hails from Hanoi, Vietnam. Bui Huu Hung works in the traditional medium of lacquer. It is the same medium that has produced some of the finest specimens of … [Read more...]

Sarah Weiner It was the unexpected burst of red and orange against the dusty, gray stone wall that drew me into the empty alleyway.  I walked towards the color tentatively at first, dubious of the sincerity of their warmth is this city of such sickly smog. However, my pace and purpose strengthened when the indiscernible blobs of color began to take shape as messily painted letters on a dry piece of cracking wood.  “Art Studio” it said, with an arrow pointing aggressively towards the small … [Read more...]