VietNamNet Bridge - A group of committed sculptors have managed to maintain their artistic flare against the odds.

Sculputres made from marble, aluminum and steel on show in HCM City.

Called “The Friends”, these artists are the most energised among the sculpting community and have made contributions to the development of the country’s contemporary sculpture.

Starting their careers in earlier decades, most of them are now in their middle ages. The sculptors include Tran Viet Hung, Hoang Tuong Minh, Bui Hai Son, Tran Thanh Nam, Nguyen Anh On, Vinh Do, Phan Phuong, just to name a few.

Founding a workshop

Back in 1991, when young passionate sculptor Tran Viet Hung and painter Vu Ha Nam were pondering how to use their craft to make a living whilst satisfying their insatiable appetite for creativity, they founded a sculpting workshop in Go Vap District.

Since then, the workshop, intended for “the friends,” has become very popular among local artists. It attracts established sculptors, fresh graduates and students alike.

They’ve come for mutual learning, to exchange experiences, or simply to work on their projects.

Widening the mind

Preoccupied with the question of sculpture in urban space, the workshop’s artists sought answers abroad.

They used their own money to organise trips to Thailand, Canada, South Korea and China with the ultimate goal of learning and widening their mind about the world’s sculpture.

The relationships they built from these trips have earned them invitations to take part in international sculpture camps where they toiled for weeks to complete their works.

“The sculptors could enlist no one but themselves from start to finishing touch”, said Tran Viet Hung of the experiences he gained from the trips.

Works on display

“The Friends” kicked off an exhibition at the city’s Association of Fine Arts (218A Pasteur Street, District 3) under the theme “Free Creation” and lasts until December 17.

Apart from the work of local artists, the exhibition also features entries from world-renowned sculptors like South Korea’s Choi Ok Yeung, the Philippines’s Noell El Farol, and Canada’s Morton Burke.

“Art is like a river or a wind for its continuity without borders,” said Morton Burke, whose previous trips to the city resulted in works like: Ice, wood and fire; From the heart, Viet Nam.

A seminar titled “Sculpture – the cultural bridge between countries” is also scheduled within the framework of the exhibition.

So far, the artists have had an uphill battle due to a limited budget and poor sales.

Last year’s exhibition managed to sell just few works at auctions. Some were lent to the Binh Quoi tourist village and the rest were sent back to the workshop.

The workshop itself is rented, whilst expenditure for the exhibitions comes from the artists’ own pockets.

(Source: VNS)