SEOUL — The biggest ever exhibition of Vietnamese contemporary art is taking place at the Fine Arts Museum of Gwangju City, the Republic of Korea (RoK), until February 6, 2011.
The exhibition themed Viet Nam Scenery and Spirit – Close up the Past, Looking to the Future introduces nearly 50 works of outstanding contemporary artists selected from collections of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum and the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association.
The painters include masters graduating from the Indochina Fine Arts College, which was established in 1924 and is the precursor of the Viet Nam College of Fine Arts, and well-known painters of next generations.
The paintings, which use a wide range of materials from oil paint, lacquer to silk, are arranged based on historical periods of Viet Nam from the 40s of the previous century to the first years of the 21st century. They introduce Vietnamese landscapes, people and their production life, traditional customs, as well as the country's resistance wars.
The exhibition reserves a solemn place for paintings on the theme of President Ho Chi Minh.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Tran Trong Toan underlined that the paintings to some extend reflect the history, culture, traditions, spiritual and material life, resistance wars and national construction of Vietnamese people.
He added the exhibition shows Vietnamese people's spirit and goodwill to befriend other nations for peace, independence and prosperity.
A representative of Gwangju city highlighted the positive achievements of the two countries' relations and the development of the Vietnamese community in the RoK. He said the exhibition would be a breakthrough for the two countries' cultural exchange activities, thus boosting their mutual understanding.
According to him, the organisation of the Viet Nam exhibition is one of Gwangju's efforts to become a centre for Asian cultural exchange. — VNS