An exhibition of 50 works by painter Nguyen Thi Hien opened in Madrid in February. Entitled Giao Cam (Emotional Communion), the exhibition was the first-ever show in the city by a Vietnamese painter. Hien has just come back from Spain, and she chats with VNS about her exhibition.
* How did you get an exhibition in
Madrid?
Initially, Gallery Italica, which is the
leading dealer of Asian art in Spain, asked me to co-ordinate an exhibition of
works by 10 contemporary Vietnamese painters. Representatives of the gallery
came to Vietnam to talk to me about it. When they saw my paintings, they
suddenly changed their minds. Instead of presenting my works together nine other
painters, they decided to exhibit only my works.
Before presenting the paintings at the
Gallery Italica, I had to send a document about my works together with a CD of
my paintings to the gallery. The CD then was sent to Casa Asia, a consortium of
Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Generalitat de Catalunya and the
Ajuntament de Barcelona, which has the sponsorship of H.M. King Juan Carlos I
and Queen Sofia of Spain. Operating to promote cultural links between Spain and
Asia, Casa Asia agreed to host my exhibition in collaboration with the Gallery
Italica.
* How did you feel when the work was
approved for the exhibition?
I was happy at a number of levels. At
first, I was going to be among 10 painters presenting my works in a group
exhibition, but then I became the only one and the first ever Vietnamese painter
to exhibit her work in a country which is the homeland of world-renowned artists
like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Francisco Goya and Diego
Velasquez.
* What did present in the
exhibition?
I selected 30 lacquer and 20 oil
paintings, plus an installation piece entitled Mam Song (Life’s Sprout).
I was confused about what to call the exhibition, but the problem was solved
when I read a piece by Spanish art critic Juan Adriansens. Although he lives in
another country and has never met me before, he was able to feel and understand
what I express in my works and everything hidden inside. We had a common
emotional link, and I decided to name the exhibition Emotional
Communion.
* How did people in Spain respond to
your exhibition and your paintings?
Before the exhibition, 20 of my paintings
had already been purchased by Spanish people who knew about the exhibition
through articles and a catalogue published in Spain. The words "beautiful
colours", "emotional", "perfect combination of Vietnamese tradition and modern
style" were among the comments from the exhibition’s visitors. Some visitors
asked me to put together another exhibition next year, while some others placed
orders for my paintings after I come back to Vietnam.
Emotional Communion was originally
scheduled to run from February 12-29 but, due to the large number of visitors,
the exhibition was extended through March. And Gallery Italica has also planned
a solo exhibition for me in Brussels in June and another in Spain next year.
* Twenty paintings were sold even
before the start of the exhibition. Were you surprised by the
figure?
I was very surprised because the Spanish
people appreciated my work so much. I don’t paint for commercial purposes. I
follow my feeling whenever I work with my brush. It can be said that I am a
multi-style painter because my style changes with the state of my
emotions.
(Source: Viet Nam
News)
Tag: Vietnam , Vietnamese Exhibition , Vietnam Madrid , Tour , Vietnamese , Exhibition , Vietnam Tour , Travel First-ever Vietnamese exhibition in Madrid
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