The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the central city of Hue city refused to licence painter Nguyen Kim Dinh’s nude painting exhibition, reasoning low artistic quality and inappropriateness to Vietnamese habits and customs.

A painting by Nguyen Kim Dinh.

Painters Nguyen Kim Dinh and Phan Van Thuy planned to organise a joint exhibition on April 10, introducing 12 paintings by Phan Van Thuy and 12 nude paintings by Nguyen Kim Dinh. Their works were examined and approved by the Art Association of Thua Thien-Hue province before they were submitted to the Hue City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for licencing.

On April 8, when preparations for the event had been finalised, Nguyen Kim Dinh received the Hue City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s dispatch, refusing to licence his nude paintings. The 12 other paintings by Phan Van Thuy were still licenced.

The dispatch says that among the 12 nude paintings by Nguyen Kim Dinh, some don’t meet artistic standards and are inappropriate to Vietnamese habits and custom so the department wouldn’t allow Dinh to introduce these paintings to the public.

“I render the beauty of women. Lines and colours are decisive factors in my works. I was not keen on the common material aspect. I’m sad that the department refused an exhibition which was approved by the Art Association,” said painter Nguyen Kim Dinh.

After Tran Huy Hoan, Nguyen Kim Hoang and Thai Phien, Nguyen Kim Dinh’s case shows the confusion of artists, the public and managers in dealing with nude art.

Nguyen Kim Dinh said he was very happy when his nude paintings were approved by the Art Association. Believing that his works had “passed” the “green eyes” of experts so they would not have any problem, the painter urgently prepared for the exhibition.

“Paintings were hung up, invitation letters were delivered, but I had to unload my paintings near the opening day,” he said.

Another painting by Nguyen Kim Dinh.

Knowing that it would be difficult to display his nude photos in HCM City, where painter Nguyen Kim Hoang was refused to organise a nude painting exhibition in April 2007, photographer Thai Phien brought his works to Hanoi. He was very happy to become the first photographer to be licenced to hold a nude photo exhibition entitled “Spring Time”. But the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism asked him to cancel the exhibition twice. Thai Phien brought back his photos to HCM City to wait for a third opportunity.

Some 17 years ago, Tran Huy Hoan exhibited six nude photos in a solo exhibition. He was asked to take down the six nude artworks after the opening day. Tran Huy Hoan decided to close his exhibition.

“I worked very seriously. My works were approved by experts. My exhibition was an overall plan so when they asked me to take down the nude photos, I closed the exhibition. The audience then went to my house to see my works,” Tran Huy Hoan said.

“I know that nudity is a sensitive topic but if they don’t licence exhibitions of nude photos, I wish state management agencies to have specific reasons,” Kim Dinh said.

Thai Phien said managers couldn’t hide their confusion by pleading abstract concepts like “habits and customs”. He said that with that response, no one could know when Vietnam would be open to nude photos and paintings.

Remember the case of 17 years ago, photographer Tran Huy Hoan said that he didn’t introduce nude artworks at the right time, when nudity was still new to the public. Though having sympathy with management agencies about the pressure from the public, he said: “The harmony between art and the audience is needed. But we can’t wait for the audience to grow up. It is necessary to verify what are really artistic nude artworks. Any kind of prohibition must be clearly explained to avoid the working style “arresting wrongly rather than missing out”.

Thai Phien affirmed that the Vietnamese audience has a demand for nude arts. “Our ancestors drew and worship Linga and Yoni so why are nude arts considered a taboo topic and unsuitable to habits and customs?”

Painter Dang Mau Tuu, Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue Literature and Art Association and the Thua Thien-Hue Painting Art Association, said that the Thua Thien-Hue Painting Art Association examined Nguyen Kim Dinh’s paintings but the Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism continued to examine them again and it didn’t licence the exhibition.

Tuu said the art council of the Thua Thien-Hue Painting Art Association would re-examine some paintings by Nguyen Kim Dinh that were commented as having low artistic quality by the Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He said the art council worked very seriously and its members are prestigious artists in Hue.

Thai Phien’s “Spring Time” exhibition was similar. His photos were approved by the Hanoi Art Association but they couldn’t reach the public.

About the incompetence between art associations and management agencies, Thai Phien said: “I don’t understand why they need the role of art association. It is clearly that in this procedure, the role of art associations is unnecessary.”

And nude artworks can’t still come to the public.

VietNamNet/VNE