The artist La Toan Vinh

Artist La Toan Vinh To Talk About Performance Art


This morning the artist La Toan Vinh had a talk about performance art to the students in the Multimedia Lab of the university. La Toan Vinh is one of the artists that have special and long term relationship with the HCMC University of Fine Arts. Last year (2008), a seminar titled “Chinese Painting - From Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty” was held at the university with the presence of Mr. La Toan Vinh and Mr. Madison Morrison as lecturers. With his desire to do something for the university that he used to be one of its students and the enthusiasm in the field, La Toan Vinh introduced performance art - one unique kind of art from the West (not new all over the world but unpopular in Vietnam) - to the students.

During almost three hours, the artist talk about “the female artists that get into the mainstream of modern art”. They are typical ones of this kind of art. The talk really appealed to the audience with not only its contents but also the way La Toan Vinh communicated them to his students: enthusiastic, dynamic, joyful and very interesting. It was an opportunity for the students to study more about performance art and its features. “It may guide my students to a new way of creativeness in the future, who knows ?” - Mr. Vinh said - “I would like to share with my students all what I got when I was abroad in order to do some thing useful for the university as I am one of its alumni. When I was a students, it was not easy at all, no Internet so less information, the books were mainly about modern and contemporary art. That's why I'm here today. Nowadays the students have their own strengths, their own ways to go so they go faster from step to step, day by day, better and better .... Generally art students are hard-working and very creative. And whatever it takes they willingly devote themselves to art. I appreciate this".

Beside contents of the talk, there are discussions on the topic between the students. Although performance art is now on its way to develop in Vietnam and there are a lot to do, the future artists have fallen in love with this kind of art. They are really interested in the way the performance artists work with their mouths, lips, legs, ties, bodies, moving bodies ... are tools and materials themselves.


“As a country of rich historical heritage, Vietnam is ready and suitable for performance art, no expensive tools and materials needed, no oil paint, no canvas, no wood frames ... All you need is your own body. That's enough.” said La Toan Vinh. After a long time living abroad. He is now happy and hopeful about the future of the art of his country. “Change we need” he said. Is he dreaming ? No matter what it is, what he has done are worthy of admiration.

December 12th La Toan Vinh has another talk to the students in Multimedia Lab of the university. The topic is “Graphic Art Outline”.