Exhibition «Thiên Hà Lam» (Azure Galaxy)

   Nearly 200 ceramic works in shades of blue and 300 landscape sketches: VCCA in Hanoi opens a solo exhibition by Trương Tân, one of the pioneering voices of Vietnamese contemporary art. VCCA promises a new angle on an artist known for a forceful, uncompromising practice.

   Trương Tân belongs to the first generation of contemporary artists in Vietnam. Since the late 1980s he has been one of its pioneering voices, with works that speak directly to the body, identity, gender and the cultural structures of contemporary life. The exhibition is curated by Đỗ Tường Linh.

   The Vietnamese title, «Thiên Hà Lam», means «azure galaxy» and recalls the signature blue of blue ceramics (gốm lam), which hold an important place in the history of Asian ceramics. In VCCA's words, the blue here is more than the material: it reflects a shift in how the artist approaches matter, time and the creative process itself.

   What to know:
— nearly 200 works of contemporary art in ceramics
— 300 landscape sketches
— the works form a single system of forms that Trương Tân built with full focus over a limited period

   The show is for anyone who has followed Vietnamese contemporary art since its early days, for ceramics lovers, and for those curious why Trương Tân is called an uncompromising artist.

   For safety reasons, children under 1.3 m tall are not admitted, and children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult throughout the visit.

   Give «Thiên Hà Lam» an unhurried evening at Royal City and let the blue lead the way.