đây đó (here/there) School of Art Welcome &

Book Launch: Vietnam Visual Arts in History Religion & Culture

Join us for the School of Art welcome for our đây đó (here/there) guests and book launch

đây đó (here/there) is a Vietnamese-Australian research project promoting contemporary design practice while sustaining traditional forms of art and craft practice in the wake of rapid development and global challenges in Vietnam and Australia from 2021-3. Continuing this project in Australia, Tom Trandt and Pham Hoang Linh were two of our designer/craftspeople who were mentored by Vietnamese and Australian mentors to develop their designs for international audiences and markets. They will be presenting their designs at First Site Gallery. Becky Lu is one of RMIT Vietnamese staff leading this project. Please join us in welcoming them to Australia.

https://here-there.au/en/

As part of this event we will also be launching the new publication by author

Kerry Nguyễn-Long - Vietnam Visual Arts in History Religion & Culture

Vietnam has a long and rich visual culture which deserves greater recognition free from dated misunderstandings. In a broad survey this new book Vietnam Visual Arts in History Religion & Culture significantly revises, updates and expands on the theme introduced in Arts of Việt Nam 1009 – 1945 published in 2013 to present new developments and archaeological finds. It explains Vietnam’s distinctive iconography and inclusive belief systems and how they manifest in the visual arts, its syncretic and pantheistic culture and its place within the larger vibrant visual culture.

The text is amply illustrated with over 300 colour images, many full-page, highlighting architecture, statuary, metalcraft, jade and ivory carving, lacquer craft, furniture, inlay work, woodblock printing, painting, and ceramics across almost a thousand years. Different techniques used by artisans are explained. A short retrospective chapter brings the book to its conclusion.

Art historian Kerry Nguyễn-Long has lived and worked in Asia since the 1970’s. A passionate advocate of Vietnam’s visual arts, since the introduction of the policy of đổi mới in 1986 she has made frequent visits to, as well as long sojourns in, Vietnam to further her research. Her writings on Vietnam have appeared in books, arts magazines, and museum journals. She is an author, co-author, and a contributor to books, and for nearly two decades has been a contributing editor of the Hong Kong-based international magazine Arts of Asia.

There will be light catering and refreshments for attendees to enjoy.

This event is produced in collaboration with CAST RMIT

Image: Book cover, published by Thế Giới Publishers. Hanoi, Vietnam. April 2023

How extraordinary! Thanks to Kerry Nguyễn-Long, we can hold a museum in our hands. We can gasp at the stunning weight encapsulated in three thousand years of Vietnamese art … Vietnam Visual Arts in History Religion & Culture belongs on the bookshelves of scholars, art lovers, and libraries worldwide. - Lady Borton - American Quaker, author, historian, translator

"Ever since the first edition almost ten years ago, Kerry has continued her research on the arts of Vietnam. This new edition Vietnam Visual Arts in History Religion & Culture contains extensively revised, updated and expanded information on the subject. I would like to extend my sincere thanks for her dedication to the arts of Vietnam. The new edition will bring to readers a clearer and deeper understanding of the arts of Vietnam in the period 1009-1945." - Nguyễn Đình Chiến, PhD -Former Deputy Director, Vietnam National Museum of History. Member of Antiquities Expert Council, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

For more information and to purchase the book https://vietnamvisualarts.com/