The Swedish-developed exhibition “Facing the Climate” opens in Vietnam 28 September 2015. Here five Swedish and five Vietnamese cartoonists will show their climate-themed cartoons in the exhibition in Hanoi, presented by the Swedish Institue, Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi, Manzi and the National Library of Vietnam.
“Facing the Climate”-initiative was created in December 2009 to promote critical sustainable development under the heading “Facing the Future – Sustainability the Swedish Way”. It was in relation to the Copenhagen Climate Conference, when a group of 25 Nordic newspaper cartoonists provided some entertaining yet alarming drawings on climate change. Now the initiative has grown big and has been staged in a number of international contexts with exhibitions taking place all over the world. More than 150,000 people worldwide have seen the exhibition.
Sweden is known for focusing on solutions to environmetal issues and “Facing the Climate” are for illustrating Sweden’s involvement in the global climate dilemma. Swedish cartoonists Magnus Bard, Helena Lindholm, Riber Hansson, Love Antell and Karin Sunvisson together with Vietnamese artists Dao Quang Huy (Kangaroooo), Mai Thao Ngan (Bit Tat Biet Tat), Ngo Duc Tri, Nguyen Ngoc Thien Kim and Pham Duy Dang (Mo) are expressing their worrying thoughts at the “Facing the Climate”-exhibition.
It’s the first time for the Swedish award-winning illustrator Magnus Bard to visit Vietnam and he wants the exhibition to make people reflect on the environment.
“I want to make readers think with my cartoons, not to scare them away. I want to make hidden narratives such as climate change and global warming more interesting for people by showing how important it is, how it may impact our lives and what can we do together to mitigate it,” Magnus Bard says.
The exhibition is accompanied by two workshops, bringing Magnus Bard to meet young students of Hanoi in an interactive environment that considers and enacts the communicative and cathartic potential of cartoons.
The workshops are scheduled on 30 September and 1 October in Hanoi Industrial Design Arts University and Afred Nobel High School.
The Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Camilla Mellander thinks the humorous cartoons from “Facing the Climate”-exhibition is a good idea when focusing on a critical issue as climate change.
“Sweden is internationally known as a country that takes environmental issues and sustainability seriously. But taking something seriously doesn’t necessarily mean viewing it without humor. In the Facing the Climate satire and humor are blended with a genuine appeal for a more responsible attitude towards the issue. People everywhere share a responsibility to care for and protect our common home, our one and only planet Earth.” Camilla Mellander says.
As Vietnam is one of the ten countries most likely affected by climate change, Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Agency under Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it is necessary to raise public awareness and understanding of this important issue via cultural angle and other new forms of communications.
“I do believe that climate change is an important issue that requires improved understanding and collective urgent actions. I really welcome the exhibition in offering some thoughts for the public audience in Hanoi. The use of drawings, cartoons and illustrations can catch readers’ interest and attention for an issue that might not always be easy-to-understand and fun,” Hoa said.
Mondag 28 September 2015 the exhibition opens with free entrance at the National Library of Vietnam, 31 Trang Thi, Hanoi until 2 October 2015.
Sources: www.vietnamnews.vn
