CDEF - Fund for cultural exchange between Denmarkand Vietnam to be launched in HCMC in June 30th, 2006. Vietnamese and Danish artists can access funds for contemporary arts and cultural exchange activities. As part of Denmark’s overall cooperation with Vietnam, the Embassy of Denmark opened the CDEF with a budget of more than USD 550,000 over the coming five years. The funds are to be used to support contemporary artists and cultural performances in Vietnamand cultural exchange activities between Vietnamand Denmark.

The Cultural Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF) was launched with a highly entertaining reception in Hanoi on April 7th. The first project supported by the CDEF, ‘Wishing upon the Moon’, which brings together Quoc Trung, Vietnamese musician, and Danish musician and producer, Niels Lan Doky, in order to showcase contemporary world music.

Deadlines for application will be 4 times annually: February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1.

The CDEF board consist of the Danish ambassador to Vietnam as chairman and the Vice minister of Culture and Information as vice-chairman. The CDEF board has four other Vietnamese members and three members from Denmark .

“The first photo exhibition month in Ho Chi Minh City ”, with  photography exhibitions, video installation, echo-image show, round-table, workshop, documents taking place from June 23rd to July 16th , 2006 in Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, War Remnants Museum . The exhibition included photographs by Lam Duc Hien, Hoang Kim Dang, Antoine d’ Agata, Phillippe Bordas, Anne Marie Filaire, Nicolas Pascarel, Bui Huu Phuoc, Christian Berger, video installation by Ange Leccia  in Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum photographs by Christian Milovanoff Alain Leloup, Gael Pollin in Idecaf and by  Liza Nguyen in War Remnants Museum. Mr Francois Cheval, director of Nicéphore Niépce Museum ,  was curator supported by photography artists Xuan Khanh and Bui The Trung Nam.  The first photo exhibition month in Ho Chi Minh City was organized by Culture Co-operation and Activities Department  in French General Consulate and Idecaf. Exhibition opening was  in Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum with “Echo-image show” program. Those are specific series of images (taken in 1850 – 1950 period) belongs to Nicéphore Niépce Museum ’s Collection.

 
Works by Liza Nguyen

Atelier Wonderful :

Saturday, June 17th, Presentation by Tam Vo Phi, a Vietnamese born architect. After working in France for 10 years, he is now continuing his carrier in Asia as a partner and a Project Manager for HBP Architecture. Saturday, June 24th, Ði Composition, show by a group of art students from the British International School: Triana Hernandez, Eun Ji Chung, Hanh Nguyen, Minh Ho, Linh Pham, Dini Muana, Vikki Hill.They have chosen to base their work around the Opera House, a renowned French Colonial building.

Atelier Wonderful – running by  Sandrine Llouquet and Bertrand Peret-  is a creation within the Wonderful District project. Responding to the need of a space for meeting and sharing ideas around art, where proximity between organizers/creators and the public is essential, Atelier took place over 5 months, at the rate of at least one weekly meeting (art installation or presentation, video projection, lecture…) between a creator or an artwork and the public.

After 5 months, Atelier Wonderful is closing on June 30th, 2006. Two French artists are preparing for a new project in another location in Ho Chi Minh City . This supported rhythm of events, accommodated by a reconfiguration of the Atelier space each week, aimed to drive a new dynamic in the contemporary art field over a determined period in Ho Chi Minh city .

A celebration of creativity Trans- Splash was curated by A little blah blah and sponsored by Tanqueray at Xu bar, HCM city, on Thursday night, June 29th,2006 included artworks by 6 visual and sound artists: light piece by Ngo Dinh Truc experimental video by Propeller Group (Tuan Andrew Nguyen, with  Ha Thuc Phu Nam and Jason Huang) performance, video and installation by A little blah blah (Sue Hajdu and Motoko Uda) sound performance by Vu Nhat Tan sculpture and video by Wonderful District (Sandrine and Bertrand Peret) and sound by DJ Mark Jolly and electricfrith