UNESCO supports creative practitioners in the “No. 5” Art Exhibition

The group exhibition included countryside landscapes, still life oil paintings, pottery and lacquer artworks created by Le Anh Quan, Tran Cong Dung, Hoang Duc Dung, Trinh Vu Hieu and Hoang Hai Anh.

Initiating the exhibition, Mr Michael Croft, UNESCO Representative to Viet Nam and Head of UNESCO Ha Noi Office, acknowledged the joint effort of artists and various partners in making the launching possible. He stated that with the funding of the Korean Funds-in-Trust, UNESCO works to support the government of Viet Nam to implement its National Strategy for Cultural Industries Development and "with this activity, we hope to provide Vietnamese creative practitioners with opportunities to perform individual experiments with their artistic materials."

Speaking at the event, artist Thanh Chuong recounted his memories and reminded the audience that the best art is achieved when artists are truly themselves. He also expressed gratitude to the UNESCO Office in Ha Noi for supporting the arts and cultural industries in Viet Nam and that he is very gratified to witness the diversity in materials and styles presented at the Exhibition.

Featuring a number of different artistic styles and materials, the exhibition provided an open platform for the sharing and expression of the artists' stories with the public and youth of Viet Nam. The following are brief summaries of each artist and their work:

Le Anh Quan came under the spotlight among the fine art community of Ha Noi in early 2000 when he invested in his own individual gallery (Young Gallery) to promote and display new and bold artistic expressions from young artists in Ha Noi. Following the closure of Young Gallery, he led fewer artistic activities among the public. Nonetheless, the artist continued to progress on his path of expressionism art and experiments on various artistic materials. His techniques, skills and style have developed remarkably over time.

Tran Cong Dung is known for his woodcarvings of bicycle parking lots that resonate with his emotions and thoughts on the local life. The images go beyond mere descriptions of objects and share touching stories of people who have experienced a hard life. In the exhibition, No. 5, the artist presents a new series of lacquer artwork that portray hundred-year-old doors preserved in houses in the old quarter of Ha Noi. The doors, reflecting the beauty of those who have made it through the test of time, mirror the aesthetic taste of their original owners and their era. The selected material, lacquer, also illustrated an inspiring experiment by the artist at his workshop in Ha Thai, a traditional lacquer village in Ha Noi. It evokes, once again, the story of lacquer on the fine line between crafts and fine arts.

Trinh Vu Hieu is not a new name in the art community in Ha Noi. He is the founder of the Viet Nam Photo Fair organized in the country for the first time in 2015 and then in 2016. While pursuing his passion in fine arts, the artist has also developed an increasing interest in pottery. Recently, he has invested in modern facilities and special spaces near the Duong River to experiment with clay. His goal is to discover all the secrets behind pottery so he could feel the complete freedom in creating pottery artwork. In the "No. 5" Exhibition, Hieu presents his latest work along with inspiring stories about his experiments with pottery.

Hoang Duc Dung and Hoang Hai Anh bring a harmonious balance to the Exhibition with their countryside landscape and still life oil paintings. The materials and themes are both quite popular and sometimes perceived as rather effortless to work with. However, the artists convey powerful stories and emotions symbolized and expressed through the calm appearance on the surface of their work.

For more information, please contact:

• Artist Lê Anh Quân at quanartist77(at)gmail.com,
• Ms Tran Thuy, UNESCO Culture Programme Officer at tt.thuy(at)unesco.org