Hoi An’s 10 Best Galleries and Art Studios You Should Visit
- Thursday - 23/04/2015 08:31
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Phu Tam Photography
Phu Tam Photography gallery showcases and sells photography works by Vietnamese artist Dong Phu Tam (b. 1957). A member of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, Dong was conferred the title AVAPA (Artist of Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists); he is also a member of The International Federation of Photographic Art. Dong has won various international and national awards for his work and has exhibited worldwide, including Portugal, India, France, Sri Lanka, Italy, Brazil, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, China, Bulgaria and Singapore, among other countries. His work ranges from portraits of the local population to poetic landscapes and cityscapes.
Art House Vietnam Gallery
Art House Vietnam Gallery is the only gallery in Hoi An that deals with young contemporary Vietnamese artists at home and abroad. With branches in both Hoi An and Danang, the gallery was founded in 2004 by Vu Trong Anh. Originally located in Nguyen Thai Hoc, it moved to its current location in 2011. Vu opened the gallery with the aim of fostering local talent, which is sometimes overshadowed by the commercial and decorative art popular with tourists, particularly in places such as Hoi An. Art House Vietnam represents some locally established artists, such as Nguyen Dinh Hien (Dino Nguyen) and Vo Xuan Huy, as well as emerging and early career artists, such as Bui Tien Tuan, Siu Quy, Mai Huy Dung and Tu Quyen. Ranging from abstract to figurative art, painting to sculpture, the art at the gallery has affordable prices and offers a glimpse into the contemporary art scene of Vietnam.
Art House Gallery, 692 Hai Ba Trung, Hoi An, Vietnam, +84 98 9391486
Courtesy T>&G Art Gallery
T&G Art Gallery was one of the first galleries established in Hoi An. Founded in 1995, the gallery was initially home to the studio of painter Truong Bach Tuong, as well as his showroom. In 2003, with the desire to bring together all the local artists in Hoi An, the Hoi An Fine Art Club (Hoi An FAC) was established and started holding exhibitions for its members. Today, T&G holds those exhibitions and deals with the works by the artist members of Hoi An FAC. The works at the gallery range from abstract to figurative, from traditional silk and lacquer to oil and acrylic and sculpture.
T&G Art Gallery, 46 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An, Vietnam, +84 905 292 282
Hoi An Art Craft Manufacturing Workshop
The Hoi An Art and Craft Manufacturing Workshop is housed in a 200-year-old Chinese trading house. On-site artisans create traditional Vietnamese handicrafts, such as paper and silk lanterns, embroidery, terracotta pottery and fabric weaving. The workshop also has guides that can explain the history of the individual crafts and give insights into the techniques used by the artisans. Catering to the tourist population of Hoi An, the workshop emphasises traditional Vietnamese culture and offers performance shows daily, including dance, music, theatre and song.
Hoi An Art Craft Manufacturing Workshop, 9 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An Art Café
The Hoi An Art Café, opened in 2005, is home to Swiss-born sculptor Eric Kappeler’s (b. 1951) sculpture gallery. The gallery offers beautiful and peaceful surroundings to enjoy coffee while working and be surrounded with art. Kappeler, known as Cappellano, studied at St Gallen Design School, Flawil, Switzerland and made sculptures for a variety of institutions in the west.
In Hoi An, he makes sculptures in marble and bronze and produces artwork for the home as well as for the outdoors. From small to large scale, the sculptures are exhibited in the garden and inside the old French colonial villa. Cappellano also works on a commission basis and all sculptures have limited editions, some of them as few as five. Made by order, the sculptures are shipped to the buyer’s home within 6 to 10 weeks.
Hoi An Art Café, 30 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An, Vietnam, +855 16285560
Hay Hay
Hay Hay is a new art collective in Hoi An that employs local artists to create contemporary art pieces. Each artwork is used in a series of design products, such as stationery, cards, homeware and canvas art, perfect for gifts or lasting memories of Vietnam. The idea behind Hay Hay was to nurture local artistic talent and give artists the opportunity to have a steady income in order to pursue their artistic career. The store also looks like an artwork in progress, with a chandelier made from branches, Vietnamese hats cascading down rope, a beautifully tiled floor and art installations that are constantly evolving. Hay Hay’s future aim is to foster an increasing number of innovative local artists, support local art projects and establish a base where artists, locals and tourists can buy affordable souvenirs that are created outside of the box.
Hay Hay, 155 Tran Phu, Hoi An, Vietnam
Ami Galerie
Opened in 2005, Ami Galerie is located in an ancient house and is home to French artistJean Cabane’s(b. 1949) studio and showroom. Cabane’s works not only use traditional media, but are also inspired by local art and life in Vietnam. In addition to exhibiting Cabane’s paintings on traditional do paper, the space also organises exhibitions and events for other artists that work in the medium of photography or painting. Artists exhibited so far have come from Vietnam, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Ami Galerie, 46 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An, Vietnam, +84 5103 911963
Courtesy Au Lac Wood ArtAu Lac Wood Art
Au Lac Wood Art was established in 2004 by two young artists, Tran Thu and Nguyen Viet Linh. Au Lac Wood Art offers a combination of traditional and contemporary wood carving. The two artists’ studio works have won many awards, including a gold medal for a cultural award in 2004, a product design award and a creative design award in 2005. Today, the studio boasts 100 wood carvers who work alongside the artists to develop and materialise their ideas. Au Lac supports vocational training and local labour, favouring young people as a way to give them the opportunity to learn a trade and to preserve the art of woodcarving. The workshop, which is situated in Go Noi village, outside Hoi An, also supports disabled training and employment: there are now ten disabled woodcarvers at the studio, with a steady income and equal employment.
Au Lac Wood Art, 152 Tran Phu, Hoi An, Vietnam
Ngan Xua Gallery - Lacquer
Ngan Xua Gallery specialises in lacquer works and paintings. Lacquer is one of the most ancient and traditional art techniques in Vietnam. Many shops and galleries around the country sell mass produced lacquer products and paintings that are made cheaply and quickly, with a plastic substitute for lacquer. Ngan Xua boasts a collection of works by local lacquer artists that use the traditional technique and real lacquer on wood as a medium. The gallery offers original artworks that range in subject matter from abstract, to landscape, portraiture and street life scenes, among others.
Ngan Xua Gallery, 95 Tran Phu, Hoi An, Vietnam, +84 510 391 1467
Courtesy Hoi An Fine Art GalleryHoi An Fine Art Gallery
Opened in 2013, Hoi An Fine Art Gallery is located in the picturesque former French quarter of Hoi An. The gallery is home to French photographer Etienne Bossot’s studio and showroom, where his high quality archival prints are for sale. The gallery exclusively uses imported archival photography paper to produce high quality prints of Bossot’s distinct travel photography work. All the photographs are printed in Australia and are then rolled up in a PVC tube and sent to the buyer’s home address within 7 working days. Prints include shots taken around Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Bossot’s works portray powerful and poetic subjects, such as the feet of monks dressed in their orange robes walking in a line, women at work in the fields, ethnic minorities, among others.