It is being held towards enhancing
the relationship between the Vietnamese and the Korean people, said Kim Heijin,
the RoK Embassy’s cultural counselor, at the opening ceremony.
The exhibition is showcasing 39
paintings, which include the works he painted many years ago and the ones he
just completed. The exhibition is being held on the occasion of the 25th
anniversary of the relationship between Vietnam
and South Korea.
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A work by Nguyen Van Cuong. Photo: phunuvietnam.vn
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"The relationship between the
two countries can be seen as a dream, with outstanding achievements in many
fields, including culture exchange," said the counselor.
"Through culture, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea,
which have a geographical distance become more close and a family alliance. The
cultural center not only introduces Korean culture to the Vietnamese, but also
seeks opportunities to promote a bilateral cultural exchange between the two
countries," he said.
Although Cuong was born in Hanoi, he is devoted
towards capturing the Vietnamese countryside in his paintings.
The paintings in “In the dream”
comprise different drawing mediums, such as oil paintings, lacquer paintings,
pastels, carved wood and poonah paper. Many of them express the artist’s mixed
feelings and nostalgia towards the northern countryside of Vietnam.
These romantic and dreamy scenes
bring back childhood memories and express his desire to get away from the city
life bound by narrow streets.
"It is the homeland of his
heart and hopefully will be the homeland of the exhibition viewers," said
Cuong about his 16th solo display.
Bearing the same name as the exhibition
title, the painting In the dream is 28cm by 38cm. Cuong painted the painting
this year, which is one of his most favorite paintings at the exhibition.
Cuong took 20 years, from 1997 to
2017, to paint another pastel, entitled Trang xua (Moon in the past). The
painting is sized at 60cm by 75cm.
"The painting was nearly
completed in 1997 but I felt it was not perfect," said Cuong. "Until
this year, preparing for the exhibition at the RoK Cultural Center, I
remembered it and finished the painting with a small detail."
An oil painting entitled Duong dai
(Long way,) sized at 40cm by 50cm, is one of a series, with the same theme that
the artist has followed for nearly 30 years. The painting features a little
girl and her buffalo turning their backs to the viewers. The characters look
sad and don’t know where they going to, under the gloomy sky.
Graduating from the Vietnam
University of Fine Arts in 1989, Cuong is a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts
Association. His artworks are on display at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and
comprise many Vietnamese and foreign personal collections. He has had many solo
and group exhibitions in Vietnam,
the United States, the United Kingdom and Finland,
as well as Norway, Japan
and others.
The exhibition will run until
December 18 at 49 Nguyen Du Street,
Hanoi.
Source: VNA