Daily life: The painting Grocery in Malacca by Chow Chin Chuan from Malaysia is among 44 artworks displayed at the exhibition.

HA NOI  (VNS) — Forty-four watercolours by 22 painters from Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam are being displayed at a joint exhibition in Ha Noi.

The exhibition is an initiative of Malaysian painters who wish to promote the use of watercolour in Asia as a major painting material instead of using it mainly to make sketches.

Earlier, the artists had participated in excursions in Malaysia and Viet Nam to work outdoors. Included in the exhibition of works that depict the landscapes and local lives of people in places that the artists visited.

Art critic Phan Cam Thuong said the exhibition was "a great opportunity for the artists to learn about each other's painting styles, which are quite different."

Visitors can see the diversity of watercolours expressions as the exhibition carries abstract, realistic, hyper-realistic, impressionistic and even 3D paintings.

Famous Vietnamese artist Thanh Chuong was among exhibition's first visitors. He applauded the idea of the joint exhibition because "we need to develop further artistic exchanges with other countries in the region because swe share similar cultural features".

He said the exhibition reflected the life-tempo of each country.

He felt that artists from Malaysia and Thailand had "a neat painting style", while Vietnamese painters seem more "liberal and opened-minded", so works were more creative and modern."

Agreeing with Chuong, painter Tang Mun Kian of Malaysia said Vietnamese artists were very creative in using watercolours.

"They are very good in using a medium to express their ideas. You can see their 3D artworks or paintings with contemporary styles," Tang said.

Thai artist Direk Kingnok has had his work shown in Viet Nam several times already, but the joint exhibition was the first of its kind for him.

"This is not just a chance to show my paintings to local art lovers and to artists from Viet Nam and Malaysia, I also have the opportunity to create a network of artists who can exchange ideas and discuss anything related to art," he said.

The exhibition will be open until April 7 at the Viet Nam National Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.

After Viet Nam, a similar exhibition showcasing other artworks by the same artists will be held in Malaysia in September. — VNS