Danes fund contemporary art project

Ten projects of contemporary art and cultural performances will get financial support from the Danish Vietnamese Cultural Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF).

Established in 2006, CDEF has recently approved the projects with a total funding of US$61,000 with a view to promoting Vietnamese artists as well as cultural exchange activities between Denmark and Viet Nam.

Three projects by artists including Phan Y Ly, Truong Que Chi, Ngo Thanh Phuong, Nguyen Trinh Thi and Ea Sola make up more than a half of total budget.

Ly's project entitled Visually Devised Theatre will be granted US$5,200 exploring the power struggle between men and women. It is a theatre performance that brings together theatre and visual arts to explore the theme of feminism.

Another theatre performance by Chi is a dream about a blind bird. Chi will get $3,600 for the solo performance. Through personal stories about experiences or unreal space of thought, the performance questions the relationship between women and the surrounding world.

A Singular Voice – the Contemporary Journey of Ea Sola in Viet Nam 1991 – 2012 is a presentation contributing to the appreciation of artistic innovation and the critical examination of contemporary and traditional dance and music in Viet Nam.

It presents two major contemporary music and dance works, Drought and Rain and The White Body. The project will get $15,000 along with other activities including seminars and discussions on the development of contemporary dance and music in Viet Nam.

Erasable by Phuong is an experimental art programme that combines contemporary dance, music, visual arts and audience interaction. The performance will involve the participation of the audience, helping them to gain a better understanding and a friendlier view towards contemporary art. Phuong will be granted $7,100.

Indie-documentary maker Thi's The Artist is a video installation and film project combining performance art, video art and cinema. Thematically, Thi is to continue with her deep interests in the history and development of the artists' role and position in Vietnamese society. The video will be funded about $5,000.

Others getting profit from the fund include Yxine Film Festival ($5,000), Ha Noi Grapevine - a group promoting contemporary art ($5,000), Ha Noi Recitals music project between Vietnamese and Danish composers ($8,600), the Crescendo Voice Echoes - a public art project ($3,000) and Cinema Bookshelf ($3,600).