'In the dream' promotes VN, S Korea relations

Oil-painting Đường dài by Nguyễn Văn Cường.

It is being held towards enhancing the relationship between the Vietnamese and South Korean people, said Kim Heijin, South Korean embassy’s cultural counsellor, 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 Việt Nam and South Korea.

"The relationship between the two countries can be seen as a dream, with outstanding achievements in many fields, including culture exchange," said the counsellor.

"Through culture, Việt Nam and Korea, which have a geographical distance become more close and a family alliance. The cultural centre 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 Cường was born in Hà Nội, 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 Việt Nam.

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 Cường about his 16th solo display.

Bearing the same name as the exhibition title, the painting In the dream is 28cm by 38cm. Cường painted the painting this year, which is one of his most favourite paintings at the exhibition.

Cường took 20 years, from 1997 to 2017, to paint another pastel, entitled Trăng xưa (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 Cường. "Until this year, preparing for the exhibition at the South Korean Cultural Centre, I remembered it and finished the painting with a small detail."

An oil painting entitled Đường dài (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 Việt Nam University of Fine Arts in 1989, Cường is a member of the Việt Nam Fine Arts Association. His artworks are on display at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum and comprise many Vietnamese and foreign personal collections. He has had many solo and group exhibitions in Việt Nam, the United States, the United Kingdom and Finland, as well as Norway, Japan and others.

The exhibition will run until December 18 at 49 Nguyễn Du Street, Hà Nội.