Earlier I had blogged about the themes of Individual and Reminiscence under the Post Doi Moi: Vietnamese Art After the 1990s. So here is the Part II which I promised.

Under the theme of Land, it involves the exploration of the land as a subject in Vietnamese art and it is closely linked to the search of what constitutes “Vietnamese”. Sounds “chim” and deep in meaning but in short, it simply represents the question of identity. At the same time, some of the works also reflect the artists’ feeling towards the changes in social and economic spheres which have took place over the past two decades since the Doi Moi policies.

“Heart of Mother” by Do Son,1994, Oil on canvas.

Through this painting, you can see that artists often use the environment to get inspiration.

“The Return” by Nguyen Xuan Tiep, 1993, Oil on Canvas

Finally, the last theme of Transformation will include the establishment of the modern art movement that is attributed to the French during the colonial period where a school offering formal studies was established. Apart from the introduction of oil painting, there’s also the introduction of the use of lacquer and silk painting in Vietnamese arts. Meanwhile, you will also notice the use of unconventional mediums used as seen in the art work named “Beauty will save the world” by Vu Dan Tan.

For this suite of 12 art pieces that are lined up in a row, they are created using recycled cardboards. From the photos, you can clearly see that the “Beauty will save the world” work is feminine in nature having irregular shape that presents a sense of “human” quality.

So if you want to see for yourself the actual art pieces, head down to Singapore Art Museum. Details have been provided as follow:

Details: POST-DOI MOI: VIETNAMESE ART AFTER THE 1990S
Singapore Art Museum
12 May to 28 September 2008
Mon – Sun: 10am – 7pm, Fri: 10am – 9pm
Free admission from 12pm-2pm on weekdays and 6pm-9pm on Fridays