Some works by Davis Thomas are on display at the exhibition: Sitting (below) and War Destroyed the Culture

HA NOI (VNS)-- A graphic arts exhibition by American artists David Thomas, Carolyn Muskat, Lois Tarlow and Gene Dorgan is shocking audiences with haunting images of the wars.

On display are 71 graphic works that use diverse printing techniques such as lithography, digital printing and photo etching in both realistic and abstract styles. The four artists work independently, and deliver fine arts lectures in the US.

President of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association (VFAA) Tran Khanh Chuong said that the exhibition aimed to provide an opportunity for Vietnamese artists to study modern US printing techniques, while boosting cultural exchanges between artists from the two countries.

Prominent among the four artists is Thomas, a US veteran who was on duty during the American War in 1969-70. He returned to Viet Nam in 1987 and founded the Indochina Arts Partnership organisation the following year, conducting artistic development programmes and educational exchanges between the US and Southeast Asian countries with a primary focus on Viet Nam.

He was awarded the VFAA's "For the cause of Viet Nam Fine Arts" certificate of merit in 2000 for his contributions to boosting cultural exchange between the two countries.

Thomas brought to the exhibition 32 graphic works, mostly on the theme of the wars in Viet Nam and its aftermath. For Thomas, the greatest tragedy of the war was the legacy left behind for the children who have been featured in his works such as We Are here to Save You, Girl from Pleiku and Agent Orange Foetus.

He said that he created these pieces with the hope that arts could help heal the war wounds and bring people closer.

Visitors may be haunted by images of children with birth defects, Agent Orange victims and burning cultural vestiges.

Thomas extended his thank to the VFAA for organising the exhibition, where he and his colleagues continue to meet their Vietnamese friends and exchange experience with them.

He also hoped that events such as this would help create a bridge for understanding culture and arts between the two countries.

The exhibition will run until January 15 at the Exhibition House, 16 Ngo Quyen Street in Ha Noi. When it closes, the artists will present all of their works to the VFAA. They will also donate printers and equipment. — VNS