First contemporary art display shows the beat of Mexican cultures
This is the first major exhibition of Mexican contemporary art held in Vietnam, featuring works created specifically for the Vietnamese public.
THE HANOI TIMES — The exhibition Hola/Xin Chao is now underway at the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) in Hanoi, marking the first major exhibition of contemporary Mexican art held in Vietnam.
The month-long exhibition, hosted by the Mexican Embassy in Vietnam, is part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Mexico.
One artwork displayed at the exhibition.
The exhibition presents monumental murals, installations, videos, drawings, photographs and silkscreens that represent urban art in Mexico, and displays ancient cultures and popular culture of the North America country.
According to Mexican Ambassador to Vietnam Alejandro Negrín, the exhibition features Rubén Gutiérrez and Aarón Eivet, two renowned artists of contemporary Mexican art.
“Hola/Xin Chao is an exhibition of enormous importance. First and foremost, it is an exhibition expressly created by the artists for the Vietnamese public, and the first exhibition of contemporary Mexican art in this country," he said.
"With other exhibitions we have presented this year, the event brings the Vietnamese public closer to the inexhaustible diversity and richness of Mexican art and culture. It is a great way to continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Vietnam,” he added.
Artist Rubén Gutiérrez develops an interdisciplinary artistic practice that transits between film, photography, drawing and writing, addressing themes such as memory, resistance and the construction of imaginary worlds.
His work draws on the intimate and the collective, proposing symbolic spaces of refuge and resilience in the face of social crisis.
Aarón Eivet, for his part, experiments with everyday images and objects, appropriating references from Mexican popular culture to reconfigure them either in graphics or sculptural structures.
His work plays with the fragility and aesthetic power of these elements, activating narratives that dialogue with collective memory, the social and the affective.
Both creators, with unique proposals, represent the vitality and innovation of the contemporary art scene in Monterrey, an industrial and cosmopolitan city located in northern Mexico, very close to the United States, known for being a center for bold and experimental artistic proposals in all artistic genres.
Rubén Gutiérrez and Aarón Eivet will travel to Vietnam where they will host a broad program of activities, including talks with students, experimental screen-printing workshops and meetings with young Vietnamese artists.
“This exhibition represents a symbolic bridge that opens a dialogue between two great nations, Mexico and Vietnam, with distinct histories and sensibilities, but characterized by processes of resistance and memory throughout history," artist Rubén Gutiérrez said.
"This establishes a precedent for future exchanges in contemporary art that will strengthen the ties between both geographies,” he added.
VCCA Director Nguyen Tra My said that it is an honor for the center to collaborate with the Mexican Embassy and present this meaningful exhibition to the public.
The center always wants to connect artists with the community, artworks with art lovers and Vietnamese art with world art, she said.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition will take place on September 16 to mark Mexico’s National Day. It will run until October 12.
