Exhibition features poignant images of war and peace

VietNamNet Bridge – Two of the most poignant topics in art will be featured in a group exhibition at San Art (Art Exchange) today, August 6, in HCM City.

Black and white: Veteran photographer Doan Cong Tinh captures the bittersweet beauty of nature and soldiers during wartime.

The highlights are six black-and-white photos by Chu Chi Thanh, Doan Cong Tinh and Vo An Khanh, who worked as photojournalists during the war.

All of the works portray the daily life of Vietnamese people and soldiers during the American War, focusing on their losses and suffering.

In Thanh’s work called Jane Fonda Tham Thanh Pho Det Nam Dinh (Jane Fonda Visits Nam Dinh Textile City in 1972), war is captured brilliantly as the American actress/political activist stands among the rubble of a bombed street in the city.

The work is one of hundreds of photos shot by Thanh, a photojournalist covering military, political and diplomatic events for the Vietnam News Agency from 1967-74.

At the exhibit, Thanh and his peers are joined by their younger colleagues, who bring a fresh perspective to the show.

They include Le Hong Linh, Dao Nguyen Thach Thao, Ngo Dinh Truc, Binh Danh, Hung Tran and American photographer Kevin German.

The Vietnamese-American artists, Binh Danh and Hung Tran, are well-known among local artists.

Organisers said they hoped the show would help the two generations create a new way of recording and presenting the memories of war.

The exhibit opening is at 6pm at 3 Me Linh Street in Binh Thanh District today. The gallery is open every day except Sunday from 9am to 6pm.

Art library

San Art is a new gallery owned by a group of overseas Vietnamese and local artists in HCM City who want to encourage and support young artists.

In 2007, the gallery opened a reference library for art and art history researchers and students.

The library contains art books, magazines and bulletins from around the world.

Many of the collections were gifts from art museums, artists and collectors in Los Angeles, who have had a long-term relationship with the Vietnamese arts scene.

"We hope our small library can help young people improve their knowledge of art history and art development worldwide, and in Viet Nam in particular," said Vietnamese-American artist Le Quang Dinh, one of San Art’s five founders.

Dinh said the gallery’s owners also hoped to provide Vietnamese youngsters with more opportunities to learn about art.

"The library is a reliable source of valuable information for young artists," he said.

The library is open to the public from 12pm to 8pm, from Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is free.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News