Gang of Five [p.2]

The members of The Gang of Five choose to paint a variety of subject matter, which ranges from landscapes to still lifes to abstract works. The majority of Ha Tri Hieu’s work is based on country and farming life. Many families left for the countryside with the bombing of Ha Noi, and the exodus is reflected in the artist’s paintings. Tran Luan has chosen to paint the abstract underwater world. He has worked in oil as well as watercolor and does installation art. He is an important artist for his willingness to be political. Tran is also someone who serves as a mentor to young artists. Hoang Viet Dung is a painter whose work has become more refined, but his style has remained the same. Although Dang Xuan Hoa has been fairly traditional in the past, his work now is much more bold and abstract. Pham Quang Vinh still paints but has devoted much of his energy of late to his foray into the publishing business.

If there is an influence that pervades the work of every painter in The Gang of Five, it is that each of the artists has at some point returned to the common roots of the Vietnamese people—that is, the love for the land, people, and culture.

“The Vietnamese know who they are, and they have been tied to the land for centuries,” elaborates Thomas. “It is all about Viet Nam.”

Furthermore, each of the painters is similar in that their training combined the traditions of the French Academy and Soviet Socialist Realism. This is due to the fact that most Vietnamese teachers taught in the French curriculum during the French occupation of Viet Nam, while many of them studied in Poland and the Soviet Union thereafter. Their exposure to American and Western influences became more limited after the war with America ended in 1975.

For many years, the communist regime was not hospitable to artists. In fact, most art could not be seen until the mid 1990s. In 1987, however, change roused the art world in Viet Nam. The government relaxed its hold with the advent of Doi Moi. Artwork that could not be shown previously in Ha Noi began to appear. Accordingly, The Gang of Five could work with more freedom than their predecessors.

Since then, Vietnamese art has undergone a metamorphosis. It has evolved from a form of propaganda to a vehicle of expression and is now emerging as some of the most exquisite art in Southeast Asia. Today, there is little in the way of art that cannot be seen in Viet Nam. Artists operate with almost total freedom. While the Ministry of Culture must review and approve of work before it is exhibited, most all work is ultimately permitted for display.

Every system yields censorship in some form, though. It is no different in modern-day Viet Nam. Prior to Doi Moi, the government frequently squelched the voices of dissenters. That is no longer a problem. Instead, economic censorship is prevalent in the current climate. And so, if a certain style of painting is unfashionable, or if particular subject matter is not salable, artists decide against creating such work out of economic interest. When they disregard economics, their work is marginalized.

“You see a large number of alternative galleries opening up,” Thomas explains in response to the recent spread of economic censorship. “It is a fun, fast-evolving scene in Viet Nam.”

Perhaps this development explains why The Gang of Five does not occupy the same lofty place that it once did in the Vietnamese art world. After decades of struggle and voicelessness, the artists have taken the road through the village and recovered their ability to create art that expresses an authentic vision.

“I think they are more important now as individuals because they have gone their own way,” concludes Thomas.

[end]