 | Contemporary: Works by Cheni are on display at the Blue Space Gallery in HCM City. — VNS Photos |
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HCM CITY — An exhibition of works by a group of seven Paris-based artists has opened in HCM City.
On show are 54 paintings and sculptures at the Blue Space Gallery in downtown HCM City.
After the exhibition, each artist will donate one painting to Operation Smile Viet Nam (OSV), a not-for-profit charity that provides corrective facial surgery for Vietnamese children suffering from facial deformities including cleft lips and palates.
The paintings will be auctioned for charity in March in Ha Noi and May in HCM City together with other art works donated by Vietnamese artists.
The seven artists bring in to play very different styles, media and perspectives.
For instance, an exhibition brochure says Cheni, one of the painters, "predisposes peremptorily the absolute paradigm of aquaosmosis with the primeval river", while the works of Jean Marie Liesenfeld are inspired by prehistoric paintings in caves.
Then there is Oh Kee-hyung who has been led to "Buddhism art" that displays "spiritual and meditative sensitivity" and Juliette Oriez who feels "working with clay is the most sensitive way to sculpt one's thoughts". All the artists are part of the Art Projekt association founded by Polish native Lucienne Smagala who lives and works in France. Her own works are also on display at the exhibition.
Next year, a group of Vietnamese painters will be invited to France to exhibit their own paintings, while their French counterparts will be in HCM City the year after, according to organisers.
Edouard George, president of Phoenix Voyages, a frequent donor to OSV said the exhibition and auction was a "fantastic idea" to promote art exchanges between Viet Nam and France.
Welcome help
"It's very generous and I am very happy. I am very excited for us because this is the first time we have overseas artists donating paintings to us," said Julie Robins, OSV development director, at the exhibition's opening ceremony.
"Up to now, we don't have enough funds to help all of them (children with facial deformities) and we want to do more each year.
"Our long term ambition is to help all the children that are born with facial deformities every year."
OSV hopes to operate more than 2,000 children in 2011. Last year, about 1,800 were helped, much more than the 150-200 that OSV managed every year 10 years ago.
Every year, in Viet Nam, about 3,000 children are born with facial deformities.
The exhibition will remain open until January 24 at the Blue Space Gallery, 97A Pho Duc Chinh, District 1, HCM City. — VNS