LONDON Artworks by 14 Vietnamese artists were on display at Affordable Art Fair 2024 held in London from May 8-12, impressing British and international art lovers.

A popular international commercial art fair in the UK with a 25-year history, Affordable Art Fair this year attracted over 100 exhibiting galleries from all over the world, showcasing around 1,000 artworks from paintings and sculptures to cutting-edge photography, printmaking and mixed-media artworks. With prices ranging between 50 GBP (US$62.6) and 7,500 GBP, the fair offered pieces of art suitable to all tastes and budgets.

Three galleries, namely Hanoi Art House, Thăng Long Art Gallery và ArtBlue Studio showcase Vietnamese artworks. VNA Photo.

At the fair, three galleries, namely Hanoi Art House, Thăng Long Art Gallery và ArtBlue Studio showcased Vietnamese artworks, including lacquer, oil on canvas, water colour and wood-burn paintings, drawing attention from local and foreign collectors and visitors. The artists having works on display are Thành Chương, Phương Bình, Bùi Trọng Dư, Hoàng Đức Dzũng, Nguyễn Minh Sơn, Thành Nguyễn, Đinh Ngọc Thắng, Ngô Văn Sắc, Vũ Thu Hiền, Lê Quân, Nguyễn Lâm, Phương Quốc Trí, Liêu Nguyễn Hướng Dương and Bùi Văn Hoàn.

Present at the fair, Ngô Văn Sắc said Affordable Art Fair in London where art lovers from all over the world gathered was a wonderful opportunity to promote Vietnamese art. Sắc brought to the fair wood-burn paintings, and was happy to receive positive feedback on this new form of art from Việt Nam.

The fair started 25 years ago with the aim to make it an accessible, easy place and joyful place for people to come and purchase art, Jennifer Conner, UK Regional Managing Director, Affordable Art Fair, told Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in the UK.

She said the fair always ensures at least 30 per cent of the exhibiting galleries having an international flavour, and at the same time is a place where young, new businesses and emerging artists can show and sell their art, thus creating good opportunities for international artists, including Việt Nam, to promote their artworks.

According to Hoa Angie, director of Hanoi Art House, to be present at the fair, the artworks must be approved by curators of the Fair Organising Board, which is a proof of the high quality of Vietnamese paintings showcased at the Fair. She pointed to the potential for commercialising Vietnamese paintings in the UK and the world, saying participating in big events like Affordable Art Fair is a good chance to introduce Vietnamese paintings to foreign art lovers.

Artworks by 14 Vietnamese artists are on display at Affordable Art Fair 2024 held in London from May 8-12. VNA Photo

Speaking with the VNA correspondents in the UK, Geoff Carr, a collector from London, said his love for Vietnamese art started about 10 years ago when he visited a small exhibition near London and was so impressed by a painting named The Girl by Phương Bình.

Since then, he has collected over 10 Vietnamese artworks, saying Vietnamese art is truly inspiring to him. Carr does not collect Vietnamese art for profit, but buys it because it enhances his home and his life, speaking to his soul and enriching him as a person.

He believed Vietnamese art will make an important breakthrough on the global stage, and in a few years, the prices and values of Vietnamese art will rise substantially in the West, including in the UK and the US. According to him, Vietnamese artists are on the brink of breaking through but need to push harder to promote themselves to the world. VNA/VNS