A wood carving paiting titled A Di Da Phat (Buddha) by Nguyen Khac Han won the Gold Medal.

HA NOI (VNS) — More than 400 artworks of painting, graphics, performance art and video art, representing Viet Nam's fine arts field between 2011 and 2015, are on display in downtown Ha Noi.

Titled Viet Nam Fine Arts Exhibition, the event showcases works selected from among more than 4,000 entries sent by artists above the age of 18 from across the nation.

The artworks were made in the last five years.

The organising board, including the Department for Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association and the departments of culture, sports and tourism of various provinces and cities all over the country, selected the top 40 artworks for the prizes.

"Art creation activities in the past five years have been more realistic and profound, which have reflected frankly Vietnamese fine arts," Hoang Tuan Anh, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism said while addressing the awards ceremony last night.

"Works displayed here show the responsibilities of artists to history and contemporary life, the connections between artistic generations, and between tradition and modernity to popularise the development of Vietnamese fine arts," he said.

"The regular event aims to review the work of Vietnamese artists over five years," Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department for Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, said. "Visitors will get a comprehensive look at the development of Vietnamese fine arts. Meanwhile, concerned agencies will formulate proper policies to promote national fine arts."

A wood carved painting titled A Di Da Phat (Buddha) by Nguyen Khac Han from the northern province of Bac Ninh, and a statue featuring a Vietnamese heroic mother, made of granite stone by Dinh Gia Thang from the central city of Da Nang, won the gold medals. They each walked away with VND50 million (US2,200) cash prize.

The organisers also gave away four silver, and 12 bronze medals, along with 20 encouragement prizes.

A Bronze sculpture titled Cho Chieu (Afternoon Market) by Pham Thai Binh won a silver medal.

Painter Dao Quoc Huy, a member of the jury for painting, imagery and video art, said entries of imagery were better than those of other categories.

"This time, the 3D space is more delicately described with more shadows and lights to create deeper space," Huy told Viet Nam News. "Though this skill is not new in the world, it introduces fresh features in Vietnamese paintings."

Huy said the organising board this year had to refuse many performance art projects that required live interactions between the performers and the audience, as there were no facilities that allowed the art form to be performed and judged.

According to statistics released by the organisers, more than half of the 416 artists who sent entries to the exhibition were under 45.

"This shows young artists are leading in creating fine arts," Thanh said.

The oldest artist was 92-year-old Phan Ke An from Ha Noi, while 21-year-olds Do Trong Quy from Ha Noi and Phan Dinh Khanh from Hue were the youngest.

The exhibition will run at the Viet Nam Centre for Exhibition, Culture and Arts, No 2 Hoa Lu Street till December 23.

During this period, four workshops on contemporary fine arts will be held. Critic Nguyen Quan will host a talk on the role of artists in modern fine arts, from 8.30am on Friday, December 11. Painter Nguyen Nghia Phuong will chair a meeting on Creating Graphical Works in and outside the Country at 8.30am on Tuesday, December 15. On Monday, December 21, artist Nguyen Nhu Huy will anchor a discussion on the development of curators in Viet Nam since the early 1990s. The next day, critic Phan Cam Thuong will talk on art and identity in the digital age.

All these talks will be organised at the centre. — VNS