Exhibition features inspiring Vietnamese, Italian women

The exhibition is part of the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Vietnam.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro said that this is the second time the Italian Embassy and the Bat Trang Museum have partnered in an art project after the first one in 2022.

He highlighted the similarities between the two countries, which have a traditional culture with art quintessence as well as craft villages.

“Substance” features the work of renowned Vietnamese make-up artist Pham Ha Phuong, also known as PSI. After many years in the make-up profession, for the first time PSI explores multimedia art and creates an original tribute to the beauty and value of women.

In doing so, she drew inspiration from the famous Venetian masks, elaborated with traditional techniques and handcrafted with plaster, leather and papier-mâché. By “turning human beings into artworks”, PSI creates a unique and profound combination between contemporary art and Italian cultural heritage.

The exhibition brings together 21 outstanding women from different professions, each of them representing a generation of Vietnamese and Italian women living in Hanoi who have made significant contributions to the society.

The artworks displayed in “Substance” are created through life-casting, a common technique in the movie industry. Twenty-one characters become artworks made of different materials, representing the inherently diversity of "substance" with a contemporary touch.

The audience will discover the inspiring stories of these characters through artworks, photos and documentaries displayed physically in the venue and digitally on the exhibition’s official website: www.trienlambanthe.vn.

The exhibition opens for free from April 22 to May 5.