The event, Circle Painting Day, is part of the larger Circle Painting Viet Nam 2008 programme, created by Vietnamese-American artist Nguyen Cao Hiep, the Scorp Communications company and Circle of Friends volunteers.
The idea of Circle Painting was conceived by Hiep in 1999 as a way of bringing people together in an interactive art process whereby they can overcome their differences and create meaningful artwork.
On Sunday, participants will be introduced to the concepts of Circle Painting. After a warm up physical exercise, they will be broken into groups of eight to 10 and practise drawing circles on paper before moving on to painting on canvas using acrylic paint. Sixteen frames measuring 1m by 1m and two larger ones measuring 2.5m by 4m will be erected for the amateur artists to paint on.
The creation of 16 small paintings will see officers, taxi motorbike drivers, foreigners, children and students come together to create art.
The other canvases will be painted by children with disabilities as well as those residing in orphanages and from child development organisations.
Participants at tomorrow’s event will also be able to partake in other activities including creating circle-shaped sculptures as well as face-painting.
Hiep and the programme organisers hope to use this platform as a way to introduce the community to the artistic concepts of Circle Painting as well the broader humane philosophy behind it.
Hiep narrated the inspiration behind Circle Painting, which he came up when he was living in the US and felt lonely. He said he sometimes felt frustrated spending all his time on the computer, and would communicate with his wife online!
After two years spent thinking of ways to bridge the gap and bring people together, Hiep became what he called “the father of circle painting”, having come up with an idea to involve the community in painting projects.
The first of such paintings was created at Hiep’s studio with his neighbours, especially children he had roped in to help him. He has not looked back since.
Hiep has worked with various organisations to bring Circle Painting projects to communities in Southeast Asia, the United States, Australia and other countries.
Last year, he visited six countries including Thailand, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Viet Nam to introduce and organise the Circle Painting programme.
The event in Singapore last year saw the participation of the Singaporean Prime Minister, the ASEAN Secretary General and many other leaders who were attending the ASEAN+3 Summit.
“My desire is to bring the joys of creating art to everyone, especially to those who would not have the chance otherwise. It is wonderful to see how the canvas, paint and brushes connect people of different ages and backgrounds. It allows them to together create colourful images of life. Each participant can add to, alter or expand previously painted images using a common pattern [of circles],” said Hiep.
Last year saw him bring the programme to his native country. Then, two paintings were created: one by students from art colleges in cafe Himiko in HCM City and the other by farmers and carpenters in Cu Chi District of HCM City.
This time Hiep has been invited by the Circle of Friends organisation to conduct his programme in Ha Noi. The programme consists of four main activities: a training workshop for core participants, which was held last weekend, the Painting Day being planned for tomorrow, a display of artworks in Ha Noi next month and art auctions scheduled for the end of the year.
The auctions are expected to be organised by Operation Smile Viet Nam, the Ha Noi Golf Club and Viet Nam Television’s Fund for the Poor. All proceeds will go towards charity. — VNS
