On 10 October, Sweden’s Ambassador to Vietnam, Ann Måwe visited local Vietnamese artist Ngo Van Sac in his studio in Hoai Duc.
Ngo Van Sac graduated from Hanoi Institute of Fine Arts in 1999 and has since then been a celebrated artist with his own gallery and many exhibitions in Vietnam and abroad.
According to the Ambassador, his big signature portraits of Vietnamese faces from all different ethnicities and from different ages, full of expressions, stays with you after the visit. As do his depictions of Hanoian life with the lively traffic on Long Bien bridge or the vibrant Long Bien and downtown street life.
The Ambassador praised Ngo Van Sac’s unique technique of burning well-selected wood and using its nerves to get the right impression together with his use of old Vietnamese calligraphy on rice paper to contrast the texture of wood. “It gives a nostalgic feeling to the works,” Ambassador Ann Måwe says.
Ngo Van Sac’s wife, Thao Nguyen is also an accomplished artist and her works include sublime portraits of women and still nature, often on silk, and have a dreamily character.
The Ambassador thanked the artist couple for receiving her while warmly recommending a visit to the studio for anyone interested in arts.