Nha Trang hosts 2014 Vietnamese cuisine festival

The 2014 Vietnamese Cuisine Festival will be held in Nha Trang coastal city in the central province of Khanh Hoa from July 1-6.

The event will aim at introducing the quintessence of Vietnamese food as well as the creativeness of Vietnamese cooks.

A wide range of activities will take place during the week-long festival, including a cooking contest, a fair of specialties of Vietnam’s three main regions and a market selling Vietnamese typical food in the past and at present.

Classical diva fuses genres

Pham Thu Ha, winner of the 2013 Devotion Award for Album of the Year, has released a new album blending pop, opera, and classical music.

The Ha Noi-based singer recorded the album with music by an orchestra at the studio of the HCM City Conservatory of Music.

Talented composer and producer Duc Tri produced the album, which was released in HCM City last week.

"We worked for over a year to perfect the album," Ha, a graduate in vocal music from the Viet Nam Academy of Music, said.

Tua Nhu Gio Phieu Du (Love Is like Wind Drift) features eight Vietnamese songs by famous composers like Van Cao, Trinh Cong Son, and Duong Thu besides Duc Tri himself, and two foreign songs by three Italians – one by Louis Ferrari with Vietnamese lyrics by Ha Quang Minh and the other by Eduardo di Capua with lyrics by poet Giovanni Capurro.

The highlight is five melodious romantic songs Tri wrote.

The song that gave its name to the title, Tua nhu gio phieu du, has moving lyrics about broken love that he wrote at the age of 16, and is presented in public for the first time.

He also composed a song named Song Thu Em (Calm River in Autumn) inspired by Ha's life.

Bo Song Trang (White River Band) is based on the theme music of Luu Huynh's movie Lay Chong Nguoi Ta (In the Name of Love), which was nominated for the People's Choice Award at the 37th Toronto Film Festival in 2012.

Ha said, "Although classical crossover is more popular in the world than in Viet Nam, I will continue to do it in my next productions."

At the 2013 Devotion Awards given away by The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper, Ha won the Album of the Year for her debut album Classic Meets Chillout.

It features 10 songs based on works by renowned western composers like Schubert, Chopin, and Beethoven and Vietnamese lyrics by her and Vo Thien Thanh. Thanh was also the producer of the album.

Logo contest marks Vietnam-US relationship normalisation

The US Embassy and Consulate General in Vietnam on May 19 launched a contest on designing a logo for the 20th anniversary of the normalisation of Vietnam-US relations.

“We are seeking the Vietnamese people’s creativity to design an original, dynamic anniversary logo celebrating the promising future we share,” the Embassy said in its May 19 press release.

The winning logo will be used in US Embassy and Consulate General anniversary event materials throughout the upcoming year.

All entries must be sent to the US Embassy and Consulate General in Vietnam before 5pm of June 30.-

Books honour Ho Chi Minh's birth

The National Political Publishing House has published a series of books on President Ho Chi Minh to mark the 124th anniversary of the President's birth (May 19, 1890).

The editions comprise UNESCO with an Event of Honour to President Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh's Style, Uncle Ho with Resistance Springs, Learning about Ho Chi Minh's Morality, Ho Chi Minh – a Cultured Manner to be a Man, Following Ho Chi Minh's footsteps, and Ho Chi Minh: Humanities and Development, among others.

The books, which bring together writing from national and international authors, depict real life stories of the President as well as his revolutionary cause.

The publisher said it expects to foster a more profound understanding of President Ho as well as encourage younger generations to learn from his historic example.

Hundred-year-old cannons unearthed in Phu Yen

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the central province of Phu Yen has received two cannons that date back to the late 19th century.

The two cannons weighing about 500kg each were discovered buried 2.5m under the ground by locals in Song Cau town. They are made of cast-iron and still remain intact.

According to experts from the Museum of Phu Yen province, the weapons were made in Western countries and transported to Phu Yen through Vung Lam seaport (now Song Cau town) some time at the end of the 19th century or earlier. At that time, Vung Lam was a major seaport in the region.

The two cannons will be further studied at the museum and put on display later.

North Central region opens fine arts exhibition

Nearly 130 outstanding photos are on display at the 21st art photo exhibition for the north central region, which opened in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province on May 19.

The photos were selected from 1,240 entries by 200 artists from Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien – Hue provinces.

In addition to the major themes praising the Party, Uncle Ho and national struggles, the works also focus on agriculture, farmers, and rural life, as well as the country’s sea and islands, presenting them in fresh styles and a variety of media.

The organising board presented one gold, two silver and three bronze prizes to the six best works.

The annual exhibition aims to promote artistic creation in the region and offer an opportunity for artists to meet, exchange ideas and show their artworks to the public.

The exhibition is scheduled to run through May 25.

Mau Son Tourism Festival 2014 opens in Lang Son

The 2014 Mau Son Tourism Festival officially kicked off the northern mountainous province of Lang Son on May 18.

Under the theme 'Mau Son Tourism - One Destination', the festival has been organised by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It features a wide variety of cultural activities including arts programmes performed by local troupes and an exhibition on traditional winemaking. All the activities honour the province’s cultural identity.

The festival will also feature numerous sporting activities such as stick-pushing, tug of war, hiking, and more.

The festival is expected to offer an opportunity for the Mau Son tourism site and greater Lang Son province to promote their traditional culture and tourism potential to visitors, said Chairman of the Lang Son provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Van Pao.

Chimera Art Award calls for applications

The first Chimera Art Award under the Chimera-Project program gallery in Budapest with strong international orientation is calling for applications from artists around the world.

The worldwide contemporary art award is aimed at discovering, recognizing and supporting fine artists under 40. There are no restrictions in terms of media, production year and size. The Chimera Art Award focuses on the contribution of contemporary art.

The main award will be presented by an international jury to one individual participant or group of participants who can stage a solo exhibition at Chimera-Project gallery at Budapest in Hungary from August 21 to September 4 together with a US$1,000 budget, an exhibition review and a works.io pro plan. Additional to the main prize, a Public Choice Award will be given to one of the top 15 shortlisted artists with an exclusive coverage on works.io and a professional portfolio review.

The gallery program is built on curated and thematic exhibitions that provide space for meaningful discourse in contemporary art.

The international jury with art historian Zsolt Petranyi, head of the contemporary collection at the Hungarian National Gallery, Central European artist Viktor Freso, and the curator collective of seven young international curators will select the winner based upon his/her professional portfolio (including curriculum vitae  and artist statements).

Deadline for all applications is June 25 and the winners of the award will be announced on July 14. Artists can find more details at www.works.io.

David Teh to lecture on contemporary animate image

David Teh from National University of Singapore, a curator, critic and theorist in visual culture, will provide a public lecture in HCMC this Thursday.

The lecture is about the poetics of medium and proposes a theory of an animate image that can move, breathe or remember.

“I begin by considering the encounter between contemporary art and an older, traditional kind of image, at an animist festival in Thailand’s northeast. The encounter serves as an entry-point into some of the challenges I have faced as a curator and a theorist, doing research on contemporary visual art in Southeast Asia,” said Teh in a statement.

As producer, critic or student of visual culture, Teh will talk about how artists make sense of a contemporary image that mobilizes all the powers of mechanical reproduction in combination with the old values and local attitudes and practices.

Along with better description of Southeast Asian art, the lecture will focus on critical perspectives on the ‘animate image’ filled with the contemporary characters. With reference to some recent, large-scale international exhibitions, Teh will challenge popular curatorial assumptions about how artworks exercise their claims on the past.

Admission is free and English and Vietnamese translation will be provided. The event, as part of the ‘ENCOUNTER’ talk series, will take place at Melbourne Theater, RMIT, Saigon South Campus at 702 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway in HCMC’s District 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on May 22.

David Teh works at the National University of Singapore in the fields of critical theory and visual culture. His research centers on contemporary art in Southeast Asia. From 2005-2009, he was an independent critic and curator based in Bangkok, where his curatorial projects included Platform (The Queen’s Gallery and The Art Center, Chulalongkorn University, 2006) and The More Things Change (5th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, 2008).

His writings have appeared in LEAP magazine, Art Asia Pacific, artforum.com, Art & Australia and The Bangkok Post. His recent scholarly essays have been published in Third Text and Afterall Journal. David is also a director of Future Perfect, a new gallery and project platform in Singapore’s Gillman Barracks precinct.

‘Encounter’ is a 3-year cultural lecture series initiated by San Art and presented in partnership with the Tri Viet Centre for Social and Educational Research in HCMC. ‘Encounter’ forms part of a larger artistic program called ‘Conscious Realities’ that is sponsored by a Network Partnership between the Prince Claus Fund and San Art.

Truc Anh’s sci-fi and real worlds on paintings

Second solo exhibition “oNiReaKHoWaRiGNoRaLiSMe” by Truc Anh will open at Galerie Quynh this Thursday, featuring dichotomy of belief and disbelief, of certainty and doubt, reality and imagination, and the ambiguity of chaos.

His creations arouse viewers’ imagination of the irrationality of dreams and rational perception. The title of the exhibition poses itself as a riddle and reveals some of the diverse ideas, concepts and sources of inspiration for the artist.

 Right at the entrance to the exhibition, visitors will be greeted by Ready to see, a small drawing of a dead woman transported by two angels inspired by William Bouguereau’s 1878 A soul in the sky. The painting calls people to abandon perception of reality and certitude need to let their mind roam freely. Small portraits are drawn from German photographer Juergen Teller’s book Woo! while large one-panel and multi-panel canvases include depictions of fictional characters, such as Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki.

The artist seems to be particularly attracted to cast-away figures who embody the darkest and most hidden truths of human nature. However, these malevolent or alienated individuals are balanced by the presence of benevolent ones, such as the Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel or the powerful fighter Oni in the Street Fighter video games, transformed into a woman in Croco Queen.

In his most elaborate works, Anh often communicates a sense of loss, confusion and alienation from reality, with a savior or powerful entity who appears to restore a precarious emotional and visual equilibrium.

Anh’s paintings are rich in overlapping tales, juxtaposed to create an enigmatic, greater narrative that functions like a puzzle. His stories do not follow a chronological or linear structure but rather a circular one, almost viciously so that his imagery has the power of confounding and questioning reason, challenging the viewer’s knowledge.

Born in 1983 in Paris, Anh studied at École Boulle, École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués, Paris, at ECAL, Haute École d’Art et de Design, Lausanne, Switzerland and La Cambre, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels, Brussels, Belgium. Throughout his career, he has worked in a variety of media, including painting, photography, video, drawing, sculpture and performance. He has exhibited in several group exhibitions in Europe.  The artist now lives and works between HCMC and Paris.

Truc Anh will be giving a talk at 6 p.m. on June 17 at the gallery.

The exhibition will run until July 19 at the gallery, 65 De Tham Street in HCMC’s District 1.