Museum hosts regional exhibition paying homage to late curator

Painting by Santi Thongsuk sized at125cm by 110cm -2023

HÀ NỘI — Paintings by artists from Thailand, Myanmar, and Việt Nam are on display at Việt Nam National Fine Arts Museum to commemorate curator Shireen Naziree. 

The exhibition entitled Celebrating The Curator Shireen Naziree is held by Nguyễn Thu Hằng – Blue Gallery’s owner –  in collaboration with Bangkok-based Thavibu Gallery’s owner Jorn Middelborg. 

The exhibition displays more than 40 paintings by 20 famous artists including Thai Santi Thongsuk, Jirapat Tatsanasomboon, Burmese U Lun Gywe, Aung Kyaw Htet and Vietnamese Lê Quảng Hà, Phạm An Hải, Đinh Quân, Thành Chương, couple Trịnh Tuân and Công Kim Hoa, Hà Trí Hiếu, Văn Dương Thành, Nguyễn Thị Châu Giang and Đặng Xuân Hoa.

Lacquer painting by Công Kim Hoa – 2018

Naziree was an independent curator and an influential art researcher in Southeast Asia. She had many decades of association with Southeast Asian painting, tirelessly working for the development and international integration of art in this region, especially in the 1990s of the 20th century and the early 21st century, until her sudden death in 2018.

Her international curatorial practice included working with some of the region’s most important artists and emerging talents from the region and interacting with art institutions in Southeast Asia and Europe.

She wrote extensively on both the traditional and contemporary art practices of the region, with a particular focus on Malaysia, Myanmar, and Việt Nam.

Oil on canvas by Aung Kyaw Htet 2011

She wrote, in collaboration with Vietnamese artists and artist historian Phan Cẩm Thượng, a book entitled Impressions and Expressions – Vietnamese Contemporary Painting which is one of the important publications on contemporary art in Việt Nam. 

The exhibition features artists all of them Naziree had met, befriended, and supported their artistic journeys.  

“We initially planned to organised an exhibition in her honour one year after her passing,” said Hằng. “But due to the global pandemic, this year we have fulfilled this wish. 

“Alongside this exhibition, we have compiled a catalogue with Naziree’s writing about the artists translated into Vietnamese. Although it may still have shortcomings, we hope to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of her evaluation and insights on Vietnamese art as an international researcher and independent curator.

“Thanks to her efforts, Vietnamese art has reached the world and found a voice in the art market.”

Attending the exhibition opening ceremony were Thai, Vietnamese artists and Naziree’s daughter and assistant. 

Celebrating The Curator Shireen Naziree SHIREEN NAZIREE runs till July 29 at 66 Nguyễn Thái Học. — VNS

Oil on Canvas by Đặng Xuân Hòa 2024