HÀ NỘI – More than 120 art works of various categories are on display at the biennial Young Fine Arts Festival in downtown Hà Nội.

The paintings, sculptures and graphic designs are a result of the sixth national competition among artists below 35 years old.

The organisers received over 510 entries by 216 people from 40 out of 63 localities in the country.

The art council gave awards to 28 works including three first prizes, six second, nine third and 10 encouragement prizes.

The event gathers many visitors, who interested in the contemporary art. VNS Photos Lê Hương

The council noted that despite the pandemic, young artists have spared no efforts to create art works.

“Many works bear contemporary language, mentioning global burning issues, especially environmental matters,” said painter Lương Xuân Đoàn, chairman of the competition’s art council.

The three first prizes were given to works of graphic, sculpture and painting categories, respectively namely Lặp (Repetition) by Phạm Thùy Dương from Hà Nội, Lũ Thượng Nguồn 2 (Upstream Flood 2) by Trần Đình Thắng, HCM City, and Tâm (Heart) by Lâm Tú Trân, HCM City.

Đoàn said many young artists have rather old way of thinking.

“They are too cautious,” he said. “They tend to act in safety and do not dare to make a breakthrough or express their different personal opinions.”

Mã Thế Anh, head of the Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition Department under the culture ministry, said the festival is an opportunity to praise and recognise creative achievements by young artists as they build and develop Vietnamese fine arts with a strong identity and advanced features, which helps promote the country's fine arts and develop domestic cultural industry.

“The event has also created chances for young artists to exchange information, publish their works, which reflect their artful labour, their views on life and creation,” he said.

Anh further noted that during the past two years, the whole society have suffered from the pandemic.

“Yet with their passion and energy of the youth, they have created high quality works expressing their views on the changes in society,” he said.

Sculptor Trần Đình Thắng, a first-prize winner with his sculpture made of metal titled Upstream Storm 2, recalled that he has spent lots of energy and time to complete his work.

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Artist Trần Đình Thắng with his sculpture that won first prize.

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“I have three works in this series describing storms, floods, currents and natural energy source,” he told Việt Nam News. “Though three works have different sculptural forms, they still transmit the same message.”

Thắng said he chose the topic as he was born and raised in Quảng Trạch, a mountainous area in Quảng Bình. So he understands the storms and floods very well.

He chose iron as he likes its physical feature, which can express his ideas better than other materials though iron requires much effort to weld pieces together.

The exhibition will run till August 28 at the Việt Nam Culture, Art and Exhibition Centre at 2 Hoa lư Street, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hà Nội.

The Youth Fine Arts Festival is a biennial playground for all Vietnamese citizens aged between 18 and 35 in and outside the country.

Artists are encouraged to compose in free topics, expressing humanity, the goodness, social life in active way with high aesthetics.

Entries can be of various categories including painting, graphics, statue, relief, installation, performance, visual arts and other contemporary art forms. VNS