The National Fine Arts Exhibition, held only once every five years, represents the best of Vietnamese arts. Vi Kien Thanh, chairman of the culture ministry's Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, spoke to Culture Vulture about the event.
How is this year's exhibition different from previous ones?
The exhibition is the most significant event in Vietnamese fine arts as it reviews five years of creativity by artists from around the country.
This year, the 18th exhibition is displaying paintings, lacquer, sculpture, graphics and installation art which is quite fresh. Not many installation artworks are displayed in comparison with other kinds, but they reflect the importance and position of contemporary fine arts.
The jury board selected entries from photos, not from original items as they had in previous years. This has helped artists from remote regions submit works to the board and saved time and effort. This year the Art Councils has also included new members to guarantee the equity and accuracy of the result.
Why aren't all cities and provinces represented in the national exhibition?
In the previous exhibition, the organising board tried to show representative works from all cities and provinces, but this year only the most excellent have been honoured. In fact, we couldn't select any artworks from nine provinces.
The selected works include 500 from Ha Noi, 143 from HCM City and 26 from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, while 28 other provinces and cities are represented by five to ten works each. Many other locations have only one or two works on display.
The national fine arts exhibition is the most professional and prestigious rendezvous for artists nationwide, so only the most outstanding artworks are selected and recognised regardless of where they originate. This exhibition's quality and value have been affirmed. We are moved when many artists carrying their works from remote areas but can't give them prizes if they are not worthy.
The selection process was fair and objective and works were chosen based on their content and quality. There is no privilege for any artist.
But the number of work selected is uneven in between large and small cities and rural provinces, indicating uneven development in the fine arts. How do you think about this problem?
This is true, but it's quite normal. We cannot and do not expect equal development of high quality fine arts based on geographical criteria. Talent and good quality comes from the individual artist. We care more about bringing those good artworks to viewers in different regions so as many people as possible can enjoy the achievements of the country's best artists.
What do you think of the works of the many young artists in this exhibition?
The content of the works in this exhibition is quite diverse, ranging from the country's development, defence, and industrialisation and modernisation process, to historical topics and contemporary social issues, as well as the country's international integration.
Artists have had opportunities to join in field trips to such places as Pac Bo Cave in the northern province of Cao Bang, Nam Dan District in the central province of Nghe An, and the former Ho Chi Minh Trail. However, some young artists are not really interested in the country's common and current issues. I think they should be more responsible. I have strong belief in the young generation of artists. They are well-educated and have good professional skills as well as enthusiasm and creativity. We need to be more patient, as fine art is not something easy.
What will be the direction for Viet Nam fine arts after this exhibition?
This year marks the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Viet Nam Fine Arts University. Viet Nam's fine arts have a long tradition.
The goal for Vietnamese fine arts will to continue producing new and high-quality works of art and contributing to the aesthetic awareness and development of the Vietnamese people. We are working on many things right now, including education, training, and planning and creating a framework for the development of the fine arts in Viet Nam and for bringing more works to the people. The ultimate goal for the development of Vietnamese fine arts is to contribute to an advanced artistic culture that is uniquely Vietnamese. — VNS