HA NOI — Young artists will have the chance to compete in a painting contest launched by the Danish Cultural Development Exchange Fund (CDEF) in Ha Noi.
All Vietnamese artists under 35 years old are encouraged to take part in the contest, which aims at putting the spotlight on talented young painters.
Each entrant may submit up to five works in the medium of their choice, such as lacquer, silk and canvas. The paintings should have been created within the last two years and must not have received an award from any other contest.
Submissions must include an application form, curriculum vitae, copy of identity card, photos of the entered works, and a CD or DVD of the works.
Contest judges include art experts Natalia Kraevskaia, an expert on Vietnamese art and owner of Salon Natasha, Le Quang Dinh, a well-known Vietnamese-American artist based in HCM City and the founder of the San Art independent artist space and Malene Natascha Ratcliffe, a Danish curator and director of development at Den Frie, Centre of Contemporary art.
Eight finalists will be announced by the jury on September 10. Artworks created by the short-listed candidates will be exhibited in Ha Noi for two weeks in October.
During the two-week exhibition, a website poll for the best artist will be conducted at www.cuocthitainang.com. The winner will be announced on October 31.
A top prize of US$3,700 will be offered to the winner, including $1,000 in cash and $2,700 to organise a solo exhibition after the competition.
"Viet Nam has many talented and unique artists and during my time in Viet Nam, the contemporary art scene has indeed evolved tremendously. With the Talent Prize 2010 in painting, we wish to give the young artists a chance to get away from the commercial art practices and to encourage them to develop their own techniques and style," said Peter Lysholt Hansen, Ambassador of Denmark to Viet Nam and chairman of CDEF Board.
The CDEF launched the Talent Prize 2010 which seeks to find original, unique and creative artists and to promote innovation in the field of painting.
The prize is launched annually by the CDEF to provide direct support to contemporary artists and performers in Viet Nam. In past years, the contest varied its focus to include experimental music, modern dance and performance. — VNS