Tour reveals vibrant Vietnam to emerging curators
We talk to Dowse Art Museum curator Milly Mitchell-Anyon about visiting Vietnam as part of a delegation of six curators the Foundation took to the Southeast Asian nation to learn about the country's arts scene and make connections. Having never been to Asia before, Milly says she was unsure of what to expect but was impressed by the 'can do' attitude of those she met and is excited about the prospect of future collaborations.
Why did you want to take part in the Emerging Curators Tour?
For me, the Emerging Curators tour to Vietnam was an opportunity to expand my knowledge within an international context. I really wanted to develop a better understanding of what the arts sector in Vietnam is like and what kind of contemporary work is currently being produced by artists and curators.
I know from other people in the sector who have been on the Asia New Zealand Foundation trips that it’s a completely different experience to that of a self-led trip because we get access to new spaces and experiences that we normally wouldn’t.
Can you give us a quick overview of some of the activities you got to experience in Vietnam?
The delegation started in Hanoi – where we met the newly appointed ambassador to Vietnam, Caroline Beresford, at the New Zealand Embassy before a panel discussion with local curators.
In Hanoi we visited places such as the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Heritage Space and Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. We were also in Vietnam at the same time as Westlife, but we sadly did not cross paths… Although it seemed to be a popular music choice in restaurants and cafes.
The group visiting Hue University of Arts
Our next stop was Hue, the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. In Hue visited numerous exhibitions and museums.
We were also lucky enough to have an in-depth tour by the Chairman of the University Council, Phan Le Chung, at Hue University of Fine Arts – where we saw students learning traditional arts like silk and lacquer painting. We even managed to make it onto Vietnamese TV when we attended the graduation exhibition for the students that was staged at the Imperial City of Hue.
It was hard not to fall in love with Hue, it’s so beautiful and reminded me a lot of Whanganui (my hometown) but the Vietnam version.
We then headed south to Ho Chi Minh City where we were shown the ropes by Katty Do and her brother Leo Do. We went to the Nguyen Art Foundation, met contemporary silk painter Nguyen Thi Chau Giang, visited Indochine House Gallery, Quang San Art Museum, San Art Gallery, and Wiking Salon.
What would you say the highlight of your visit was?
Overall, I think the highlight for me was going to Hue – it felt like they hit a perfect balance between the preservation of tradition and adoption of the new – such as digital art space Sốnglab co-existing in a city recognised for its UNESCO World Heritage.
The curators visiting digital art space Sốnglab
The digital works that had been commissioned for the space when we visited were responding to Hue’s historical legacy and rich history – and I love that. That the past, present and future are not mutually exclusive. And as a side note, I really loved how in Vietnam different generations hang out and socialise together in public spaces – all the time.
What were some of your key takeaways about the position of the arts in Vietnam?
It was interesting learning about the arts sector from curators and artists living and working in Vietnam because their arts landscape is completely different in many ways, but at the same time arts practitioners still have some of the same challenges we do.
For instance, in Vietnam there is very little government funding for galleries, unlike here where most of our galleries are publicly funded and have one of the highest rates of museums and galleries per capita in the world.
In contrast again, there seemed to be a lot more private investment in the arts, and anecdotally it felt like there has been rapid development in that area with new museums opening, artist-run spaces multiplying and people like the emerging curators from New Zealand visiting to see what was going on. The answer: lots!
Can you talk about some of the people you met and connections you made in Vietnam?
The curators hear from artist Nguyen Thi Chau Giang at her studio in Ho Chi Minh City
One of the highlights for me was meeting other emerging curators like Lê Thuận Uyên, Son Nguyen, Ha Dao, Đỗ Tường Linh and Nguyễn Anh-Tuấn at the panel discussion.
Tuấn is artistic director of Heritage Space in Hanoi where a couple of us visited during our research day. Heritage Space is also the hub for the Vietnamese Contemporary Art Database (VCAD) – an online art archive of Vietnamese artists working in contemporary art that began in 2020.
Madame Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong, who started Lotus Gallery, was also a highlight – she only started the gallery after she’d retired. Before that, she was a soldier and translator, war correspondent and documentary filmmaker – and recipient of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in France.
What stood out to me was her insistence that young people know what they’re doing, and not to listen to her. At age 94, Madame Phuong is passing over the reins to brother and sister duo, Katty and Leo Do – the next generation.
How do you think this experience is going to impact your practice as a curator going forward?
I had never been to Vietnam (or any country in Asia). I was planning to visit China and South Korea in 2020, which as you might have already guessed from some contextual timing clues – did not happen.
In truth, Vietnam wasn’t the first place that popped to mind when thinking about the arts but that was what made the prospect exciting.
After visiting Vietnam, it’s easy to see just how much it has changed in the last 5-10 years, and so in another 5-10 years it’s an easy bet to assume it will have grown exponentially.
There are exciting things happening across Vietnam and I think this can be partly attributed to the ‘do it yourself’ approach of just getting stuff done. If you want to do something – you make it happen.
The Foundation's arts programme aims to bring Asia into the mainstream of New Zealand arts by inspiring New Zealand arts professionals to grow their connections and knowledge of Asia. It also supports the presentation of Asian arts in partnership with New Zealand arts organisations and events.
The Curator's Tour programme takes New Zealand curators to leading art museums, galleries and artist spaces in selected countries to build their professional networks and explore possible future collaborations and artistic exchanges.
