Art helps Slovakia, Vietnam find each other

Prominent Slovakian artist Peter Pollag expects to help enhance the friendship and mutual understanding between Vietnam and his country through his paintings.
Prominent Slovakian artist Peter Pollag expects to help enhance thefriendship and mutual understanding between Vietnam and his countrythrough his paintings.

His solo exhibition is being organised inHanoi to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of tiesbetween the two countries.

Pollag has named the exhibitionFinding Each Other – which is the name of one of his popular paintings –with the expectation that the people of the two countries will comecloser to each other.

"Vietnam and Slovakia are farfrom each other geographically," he said. "Through cultural exchanges,we will find a common voice."

When Pollag planned his trip andexhibition in Vietnam, he saw films and photos of the country to getmore information about it.

He had never been toVietnam earlier, but painted a Vietnamese woman with his imagination.This resulted in the painting of a young woman in ao dai (traditionalwomen dress), riding a bicycle across the river Danube.

SlovakianAmbassador Igor Pacolak remarked that Pollag is a veteran and anexcellent artist. "His paintings are expressive and imaginative, dynamicand mystical, and full of movement and life," he said.

"He shifts both in space and time, and uncovers the destinies of temporary people through strong metaphors and symbols.

"Mythology, history and literature are important themes in his works.He portrays parallels between various cultures and interprets well-knownmotives in a new way."

At the exhibition, Pollagpresented several small and medium-sized paintings (about 57cm by 58cmand 140cm by 200cm), representing his various genres such as screenprints, mixed media and water colours on paper.

Healso introduced Danube Wings, a 11.5m-tall sculpture displayed at theDanubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava. The ferro-concrete andglass mosaic piece has become a symbol of art in the city.

Born in 1958, Pollag graduated from fine arts colleges in Bratislava,Perugia, Prague and Paris, besides Madrid. He taught at the Academy ofFine Arts in Bratislava till 1990. Then he focused on creative work.

The artist has had a great number of solo and joint exhibitions. Hisworks can be found in public and private collections around the world.He has participated in several symposia and creative camps, and has beenawarded numerous prestigious awards at home and abroad.

He lives in Bratislava and works on small-size and monumental-sizepaintings, graphic prints, book illustrations and sculptures.

The exhibition will run till March 8 at the Vietnam University ofFine Arts in Hanoi. Then it will be showcased in Hai Phong and Ho ChiMinh City.-VNA

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