Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in HCM City's District 1 hosts many entertainment and cultural activities (Photo: nld.com.vn) HCM City (VNA) - Installation of art in public places in Vietnam isessential to the development of smart cities and their cultural life, Ho Chi Minh City’s artists and cultural expertshave said.
Public art using materials such as wood and plaster began toappear in numerous places in HCM City around 50 years ago. Even thoughpublic art works did not gain much attention at the time, they havebecome more important now that the city has grown significantly.
“About 20 years ago, I sent a proposal to the HCM CityPeople’s Committee and suggested transforming the two sides of Nhieu Loc Canal into a statue garden inspiredby Hung Vuong (Hung Kings) and up to the current era,”artist Trang Phuongsaid.
“I also suggested building bridges that have culturaland artistic values. This proposal is not too expensive, considering thatbridges typically have the same structure. However, 20 years have passed andthose plans have not been executed,” he added.
As the economy develops, authorities should paymore attention to public art space when carrying out architectural planning, hesaid. Otherwise, the public would suffer a great cultural loss.
In addition to wall paintings, HCM City has introduced“blooming” electrical poles in which the poles are decoratedwith paintings of colourful flowers in an effort to encourage locals to savethe environment. However,this has generated mixed opinions among locals.
“HCM City already has a street that sells lights duringthe Lantern Festival. Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street is famous for traditionalmedicine, and Catholic neighborhoods are decorated very beautifully everyChristmas season,” said Dr. Le Hong Phuoc from the HCM City University ofSocial Sciences and Humanities.
He suggested that HCM City should have fixed art spaces forlocals to have more cultural activities and visitors to have more optionsfor sightseeing.
“Gia DinhPark, where the Phuong NamArt Theatre’s circus is located, could become a park for puppet andcircus art, while the alley next to Thu Do Theatre could be turned into a space for locals who love the art of hat boi,” he added.
Meritorious Artist and Director Ca Le Hong said that public artworks reflect various culturalidentities of Vietnam throughout the course of history. Quality public art spaces can improvelocals’ artistic sense and enrich their lives, Hong added.
Experts agreed that public art is not necessarily captured inthe form of architectural monuments, but via music festivals and various typesof street art.
Authorities should make use of old factories, bus stops, newurban areas, and parks, among other platforms, to install artwork for people toenjoy.
Phuocsuggested that in addition to Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, HCM City should considermaking Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street a public art space for localartists in different fields to express their creativity. Public artspace is not just about architectural monuments, but creativityin various forms, Phuoc said./.
Public art using materials such as wood and plaster began toappear in numerous places in HCM City around 50 years ago. Even thoughpublic art works did not gain much attention at the time, they havebecome more important now that the city has grown significantly.
“About 20 years ago, I sent a proposal to the HCM CityPeople’s Committee and suggested transforming the two sides of Nhieu Loc Canal into a statue garden inspiredby Hung Vuong (Hung Kings) and up to the current era,”artist Trang Phuongsaid.
“I also suggested building bridges that have culturaland artistic values. This proposal is not too expensive, considering thatbridges typically have the same structure. However, 20 years have passed andthose plans have not been executed,” he added.
As the economy develops, authorities should paymore attention to public art space when carrying out architectural planning, hesaid. Otherwise, the public would suffer a great cultural loss.
In addition to wall paintings, HCM City has introduced“blooming” electrical poles in which the poles are decoratedwith paintings of colourful flowers in an effort to encourage locals to savethe environment. However,this has generated mixed opinions among locals.
“HCM City already has a street that sells lights duringthe Lantern Festival. Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street is famous for traditionalmedicine, and Catholic neighborhoods are decorated very beautifully everyChristmas season,” said Dr. Le Hong Phuoc from the HCM City University ofSocial Sciences and Humanities.
He suggested that HCM City should have fixed art spaces forlocals to have more cultural activities and visitors to have more optionsfor sightseeing.
“Gia DinhPark, where the Phuong NamArt Theatre’s circus is located, could become a park for puppet andcircus art, while the alley next to Thu Do Theatre could be turned into a space for locals who love the art of hat boi,” he added.
Meritorious Artist and Director Ca Le Hong said that public artworks reflect various culturalidentities of Vietnam throughout the course of history. Quality public art spaces can improvelocals’ artistic sense and enrich their lives, Hong added.
Experts agreed that public art is not necessarily captured inthe form of architectural monuments, but via music festivals and various typesof street art.
Authorities should make use of old factories, bus stops, newurban areas, and parks, among other platforms, to install artwork for people toenjoy.
Phuocsuggested that in addition to Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, HCM City should considermaking Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street a public art space for localartists in different fields to express their creativity. Public artspace is not just about architectural monuments, but creativityin various forms, Phuoc said./.
VNA
