1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

- 6 - a r t works a t th e b eg inn ing o f th e c e n tu r y . Some adop t h y p e r ­ r e a l i s m o r ph to r e a l i sm , o t h e r s European r e a l i s t i c s t y l e s e a s o n ­ ed w ith s t y l i z e d d e c o r a t iv e m o ti fs . . . .And i n Hano i, now em erges a ten d en cy t h a t some peop le a r e w i l l i n g to r e f e r to a s Planoi s c h o o l , combining t r a d i t i o n a l and modern e lem en ts i n a p a r t i c u l a r way; however, t h i s i s j u s t a s t a r t . No such new­ f a n g l e d fo rm s o f e x p re s s io n a s happen ing , i n s t a l l a t i o n , or p e r f o rm a t i c n , o r lan d a r t ; o r c o n c e p tu a l a r t . . . W ill th e y come and a r e th e y n e c e s s a r y , i s ^ q u e s t i o n to which we have /an sw e r s in c e b e a u ty i s e t e r n a l , t im e - t r a n s c e n d e n t , b u t th e ways i t / e x p r e s s e s i t s e l f a re however bound to be i n c i d e n t a l , c o n t in g e n t on a d e f i n i t e tim e , a d e f i n i t e p la c e . Though V ietnamese p a i n t i n g now can b o a s t rem a rkab le a r t i s t s and m a s te r s , though th e g e n e r a t io n o f m idd le-aged and young p a i n t e r s a r e e n t e r in g th e new p e r io d w ith e x h i l a r a t i n g hopes , i t s f u t u r e s t i l l rem a in hazy , b ec au se as f a r , f i n e a r t has found r e sp o n s e o n ly i n ve ry few a r t - l o v i n g i n t e l l e c t u a l s i n l a r g e c i t i e s . The main problem f o r V ietnamese a r t now i s t h a t i t has n o t g o t i t s d e s e rv ed p l a c e i n th e s o c i a l , econom ic, in f o rm a t i c . . . l i f e y e t . The a r t w o rk e rs th em se lv es want i t to become p a r t o f th e a r t l i f e i n t h i s A s ia n -P a c i f i c r e g io n i n th e n e a r f u t u r e . To say th e t r u t h , we know almost n o th in g abou t th e con tem po ra ry a r t o f th e n e ig h b o u r in g c o u n t r i e s , from T h a iland , th e P h i l ip p in e s to China, I n d o n e s i a , S ingapore or Jap an . In th e l a s t two y e a r s , f o r i n s t a n c e , t h e r e were o n ly 5 o r 6 minor t e a c h - i n s on V ietnamese a r t ab ro ad and 1 o r 2 f o r e ig n a r t shows o f no im p o r ta n c e i n V ietnam , and p u b l i c a t io n s were u n a v a i l a b l e . The f i r s t time #1 came a c ro s s A u s t r a l i a n a r t documents was i n th e l a s t y e a r when you were making p r e p a r a t io n s f o r t h i s e x h i b i t i o n and con­ f e r e n c e . One canno t speak o f ’’I d e n t i t y , T r a d i t io n s and Evolu­ t i o n ” w ith o u t r e l a t i o n s and exchange , f i r s t and fo rem o s t, between c o l l e a g u e s . We r e a l l y need a s s i s t a n c e from a l l o f you h e r e . How t h i n g s a r e g e t t i n g on in our c o u n t ry ? Por a l l ou r op tim ism , we know we a re hav ing Hymalayan d i f f i c u l t i e s to o v e r ­ come. We have now abou t 3 ,000 t r a i n e d a r t i s t s , most o f them members o f t h e Vietnam A s so c ia t io n o f P l a s t i c A r ts Workers o r