Mekong Art Club belongs to Ho Chi Minh Fine Art Association and it has been an enriching place for young and experienced artists to exchange their views. The diversified styles of the thirty artist members represent the potential and dynamics of the Vietnamese art. Artist Le Kiet is in charge of the collective. He is tirelessly looking for opportunities to promote the collective through domestic and international exhibitions, seminars, workshops, exchanges with other collectives from different parts of Vietnam. “The aim of the collective is to help each other, Kiet says. We put our networks and resources in common and we move forward as a group. There is no rivalry as we are all friends. And what is beneficial for an artist in terms or visibility will benefit the collective and vice versa.” Kiet is now scouting for a place for the next exhibition in November.
There are many collectives throughout Vietnam. Most of the time, an artist would choose his collective according to his network, also depending on which Fine Arts University the artist is graduated from. A collective represents a good way to start on the artistic scene. “Life can be hard for an artist In Vietnam, Kiet says. For a group like ours, it makes it easier to rent an exhibition space in the city. An artist needs to exhibit his work, but sometimes, the cost can be too high.”
But more than that, the collective and many others face a harsh market. The price proposed for their works is indeed barely enough to live. “The lack of committed collectors is the problem”, artist Dien explains. Dien, sixty five year-old, is one of the most experienced artist in the collective. “Collectors in Vietnam are not really interested in discovering new talents, new artists. They buy only famous painters works and that’s it. On the other hand, some other collectors would only act as businessmen interested in short term profits. And you have a lot of wolves in this environment! I heard that one so-called collector was selling copies of paintings. After a while, having sold a good deal of copies for good money, he finally gave back the original to the artist, saying that he could not sell it to anyone! Can you believe it?”
Kiet has finally decided for the next place: “we will do the next exhibition in Van Thanh park in Binh Thanh district, it will be an outdoor exhibition, which is quite original and challenging. I really like the idea!”, Kiet laughs. “Last time we did an outdoor exhibition was at the Art on the Beach exhibition, held in Ho Tram Osaka Resort, near Vung Tau. We had sculptures and paintings displayed on the beautiful white sandy beach, that was magnificent”, he recalls.
