VietNamNet Bridge – Four times a year, the Saigon Artbook project launches an edition grouping 36 of the latest artworks from three artists living in Ho Chi Minh City, including both Vietnamese and foreigners.

Five editions of Saigon Artbook (Photo:saigonartbook.com)

The English books are then delivered for free, with limited copies for readers who registered via http://saigonartbook.com/ beforehand, at an exhibition held to display the artworks showcased in the book in the hope of promoting innovative and undiscovered artists to the public.

In 2013, US photographer and owner of AlexbyAlex studio Alexander McMillan, who is living in HCMC, came up with an idea of producing a magazine specialising in the arts. His idea was received well by his two young Vietnamese colleagues: Dang Thanh Long and Tran Phung Gia Nam. They suggested he change his plan to publishing a book, supported by the Tre (Youth) Publishing House, as it is difficult to apply for a license to publish magazines in Vietnam.

The first edition premiered in October 2013, introducing 36 artworks by three artists: French Truc Anh, French-Vietnamese Sandrine Llouquet and Japanese Ayano Oltani. Since then, three other editions and a special publication celebrating the one-year anniversary of the project have been published.

A copy of Saigon Artbook is available for free by registering at http://saigonartbook.com/ (Photo:saigonartbook.com)

 “We have a set of criteria to select artists for the book,” said 24-year-old Dang Thanh Long, head of the project.

First of all, since the book is entitled ‘Saigon Artbook’, no matter if the artists are foreigners or from across Vietnam, they have to be living in HCMC.

Secondly, the artworks submitted should not be exhibited before, aiming to generate curiosity and excitement for readers and visitors to the exhibition, including those who know the artists.

Thirdly, the artists’ styles should be varied in the book. For example, in the same edition, there will be sketches, watercolour paintings and photographs. There will be some works that draw liking from viewers at the very first sight while others take longer to win the hearts of the viewers.

Last but not least, the artists should promote their readiness to support each other. We cannot make it through if the artists do not agree with our regulations to display their works with others in a book or join others at an exhibition.

Alexander left the group, leaving the work for Long and Nam. They established their own company, The Others Creative House, to continue nurturing the project. The young producers have faced budget problem, an issue anyone who pursues their love for the arts.

A visitor at an exhibition to showcase artworks introduced in the book (Photo: saigonartbook.com)

 “The major target of the project is to bring the arts closer to the public, remove any current social barrier between the arts and people, such as social or knowledge background or money. That’s why Saigon Artbook’s copies are delivered for free for readers,” said Long.

“Although we have asked for sponsorship from businesses, last year we had to spend our own money to run the project,” Long admitted.

“In the coming time, we will try to draw financial support through crowd-funding, calling on the community to make financial contributions to the book’s producers, which was successfully launched in 2014 by the creators of ‘Truyen Thuyet Long Than Tuong’ (Legend of the Dragon General),” Long said.

Saigon Artbook’s producers try to introduce to readers to both Vietnamese and foreign artists in each edition. However, after one year, Long was surprised to have too many talented Vietnamese candidates for him to select from.

“The waiting list is quite long now, and so many of them are Vietnamese artists — I am afraid that we may lose the balance between Vietnamese and foreigners,” he said.

We have received many submissions from many talented artists from Hanoi and Hai Phong city, so they do not meet our very first criterion. However, we still save their files in case someday we will have a Hainoi Artbook or Central Region Artbook.

The first edition had 500 copies; the exhibition to introduce the book was attended by 300 people. The fourth and the latest edition had 700 copies and the party to announce the book drew the participation of around 1,200 art lovers. The increasing numbers show that the project has established its own reputation among the public and has also been appreciated by arts circles.

Nhan Dan