New Zero Art Space in Myanmar

Mekong Art Exchange..

This exchange program included two parts in two neighborhood countries, Vietnam and Thailand in which the historical and important river of the South East Asia, Mekong flows.

Four of New Zero artists, Aye Ko, Kaung Su, Nyein Chan Su(NCS) and Thargyi travelled to Vietnam for Vietnam-Myanmar Mekong art exchange collaborating with five Vietnamese artists. The program was hosted by Nhan San studio in Hanoi There were the presentations of each artists on 24th July. Aye Ko gave some presentation on “Myanmar contemporary art history” and “New Zero Art History”. Then the Myanmar artists gave respective presentations of their recent art works. Moreover, the Vietnamese artists and Myanmar artists had a mutual discussion on the difficulties such as censorship, the situation of art market comparing the progresses of each country. The performance event of the exchange program was shown on 28th July. Myanmar artists made a group performance as a metaphor reflecting their own identities. The Vietnamese artists made solo performances. The brief profiles of these artists were below.

TRAN LUONG_ One of the leading artists of contemporary Vietnamese art world, Luong was born in Hanoi in 1960. He graduated BFA from Hanoi Fine Art Institute in 1983. His first group exhibition in abroad was “Gang of Five-3” at Trope Museum, Amsterdam, Vlissingen in Holland. During 1994-2008, he has already finished over 20 solo exhibitions in painting, installation of video, texts, photograph and sound in home country and in such countries as USA, Japan, Italy, China, Cambodia and Singapore. Since the beginning of his carrier, he has conducted several workshops and conferences the issues and topics of social condition and censorship, visual art, performance art and contemporary art not only in Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, But also in USA, Germany, Norway and in Italy. He is now one of the directors of Nhan San Art Gallery. He is the Board director at - ANA - Art Network Asia and at CDEF Culture Development and Exchange Fund (Denmark Fund).From 2000 to 2003; he founded and run the Hanoi Contemporary Art Center. He is the Co-Founder NHA SAN DUC, established in 1998, the first independent art space in Vietnam. He is a well-known curator who promote Vietnamese and Asian art and a well-experienced advisor of several international famous art organization such as: Arts Initiative Tokyo (AIT), Non-profit Organization, Pacific Village Institute (PVI) New York City, Asia Art Archive (AAA), British Council Vietnam, Goethe Institute Hanoi and Japan Foundation.

NGUYEN MANH HUNG (Http://hung6776.multiply.com) _ a multi-disciplinary artist working with paintings and performances, he has already finished 16 sound and music performances, 19 group exhibitions during 2000-2009. He participated in Nipaf (Nippon International Performance Art Festival) and in Tipaf (Taiwan International performance Art Festival) in 2004. His forth-solo exhibition was at Marena Rooms gallery in Turin in Italy in 2010. He exhibited two solos in 2002, “Trousers and shirts” of installation works at Nhasan studio and “Come with me”, paintings in oil at Goethe Institute in Hanoi.

NGUYEN HUY AN (Http://huyant.multiply.com) This 1982 born young artist graduated from Hanoi Fine Art Institute in 2008.Now he is working with performance art and contemporary art. He participated in Performance Art Festival: KET NOI Vietnam- Singapore in 2008, “New Faces” National youth contemporary Art Exhibition and Nipaf Asia in 2007 and International Performance Art festival No 14 Saigon in 2006. He is an active young generation at Vietnam art scene.

Vu Hong Ninh (Http://vuninh.demo.to) This young generation artist started mostly working with installation and performance art in 2004.In addition, he creates some paintings and media art. He has already finished nearly 20 exhibitions locally. He participated in Nipaf Asia and Video-photos art exhibition, “ASIAN YOUTH IMAGINATION 1” Musui R.D.R Gallery in Japan in 2008.One of his art work ”The Little Soap Buddha” was exhibited at LimDim Stenersen Museum in Oslo in Norway in August 2009.

PHAM NGOC DUONG (Http://from1976to.multiply.com) Working on Installation, oil paintings and video art, The 1976 born artist has already finished around 30 group exhibition not only in Vietnam but also in Japan, Singapore, France and Switzerland. Moreover, among his ten solo exhibitions, nine were installation art and the rest one was oil painting show. Some of his selected solo installation pieces are "Black & White" at Cave Gallery in New York, USA and “Under the Magnifying glass" at France Cultural Center L'espace in Hanoi in Vietnam.

After the Vietnam exchange, the Myanmar artists went to Bangkok and participated “Thai/Myanmar One Day Performance Art Event” at Bangkok art house gallery at BACC (Bangkok art and cultural center) at 1 August 2010.The performance artists list was:

Mongkol Plienbangchang (Thai)
NCS (Myanmar)
Kaung Su (Myanmar)
Jittima pholsawek (Thai)
Thargyi (Myanmar) “Self-punishment”
Zoncy (Myanmar) “Red Tradition”
Chakkrit chimnuk (Thai)_ “History of rain”
Aye Ko (Myanmar) “W hat is life?”

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