MT VI SUY NGH V CUC TRIN LM "I DNG NGN CCH"
"CHNH TR ANG LM UNG THI,
H NT NGH THUT"

KRISTIN HUCKSHORN --TRUNG NGN
...ng C. Davis Thomas, ngܩi khi xܧng cuc trin lm "An Ocean Apart" by t hy vng rng n s khng khu gi li cm thc v chin tranh. Nhng chnh ng cng nhn thy rng "trong lc ny, bt c ci g m ng ljn Vit Nam NJu vn cn l mt tranh ci chnh tr nng bng." (Anything that touches on Vietnam is still a politically hot issue)...
Cuc trin lm tranh mang tn "An Ocean Apart" ܮc dch ra Vit ng l "Nghn Trng Xa Cch" do Vin Bo Tng Ngh Thut San Jose thc hin gy mt s sng gi trong cng ng ngܩi Vit ti Bc Cali.

Ngy 23 thng 5 va qua, San Jose Museum of Art ph bin bn tin NJ ngy 10-5-96 gii thiu: "Nghn Trng Xa Cch": NGH THUT HIN I ca NGОI VIT ti HOA K v ti VIT NAM. Mt bui gii thiu ǥc bit dnh ring cho gii bo ch truyn thng ܮc t chc vo ngy th Su 24 thng 5 t 9:30 sng ljn tra.

Cuc trin lm ܮc thc hin ti San Jose vi s bo tr ca cng ty in thoi AT&T v Nht Bo San Jose Mercury News. Bui trin lm chnh thc khai mc vo ngy th By 1 thng 6 vo lc 6 gi chiu v s ko di ljn thng 8 nm 1996.

NGUYN NHN GY SNG GI v MU THUN

1. Nguyn nhn gn v trc tip: L do u tin gy nn phn ng quyt lit ca nhng ngܩi tranh u chng Cng l tm thip mi vi ni dung gm mt lot chng trnh ni v Vit Nam qua ngh thut ko di hai thng rܫi, m u bng cuc trin lm tranh vi ch NJ "An ocean apart: contemporary Vietnamese art from the United States and Vietnam." Cuc trin lm lm cho ngܩi ta nh li cch y 3 nm, Vin Bo Tng ny cng ng ra t chc mt cuc trin lm tranh ca 20 ha s Vit Nam v 20 ha s M vi ch NJ l "As seen by both Sides" (tm dch: Nh ܮc nhn t i bn) ܮc c s Indochina Arts Project bo tr. Cuc trin lm ny b hy b theo li khuyn co ca ng V Vn Lc, Lin Hi ngܩi Vit quc gia. S hy b ny cng lm cho Vin Bo Tng M Thut San Jose b mt s ch trch v ph bnh sau .

Rt kinh nghim ln trܧc, ln ny, ng C. Davis Thomas, ngܩi khi xܧng cuc trin lm "An Ocean Apart" by t hy vng rng n s khng khu gi li cm thc v chin tranh. Nhng chnh ng cng nhn thy rng "trong lc ny, bt c ci g m ng ljn Vit Nam NJu vn cn l mt tranh ci chnh tr nng bng." (Anything that touches on Vietnam is still a politically hot issue).

Thm vo l do trn, nhng ngܩi chng Cng cn t ra bt bnh trܧc s tham gia ca mt s c nhn m h cho l thin t.

2. Nguyn nhn gin tip: Pha u tranh chng "giao lu vn ha" cho rng cuc trin lm v tho lun v ngh thut ln ny cng nm trong k hoch "giao lu vn ha" do Cng sn H Ni ch Ƕng qua trung gian mt s ngܩi M. H gi vn th yu cu hy b cuc trin lm.

PHN NG MNH T VIN BO TNG:
Pha t chc trin lm m tiu biu l b Gim c Vin Bo Tng phn ng mt cch quyt lit. B Josie Callan ni: "iu ng bun m chng ta ang i din l ch c mt nhm nh nhng h li ang i pht biu cho 100,000 ngn ngܩi ca cng ng ny. H ang hnh Ƕng vi nhng cung cch xy ra x h. H ang t b s t do la chn m chnh v s t do y h ljn t nܧc ny." B Gim c Vin Bo Tng ni l "s sn sng i ph vi bt c ci g c th xy ra."

ng Nguyn Qu c ni: "Ti thng cm s tc gin ca h." Bo Mercury News ch thch thm v Nguyn Qu c rng: Thn ph Nguyn Qu c, mt ngܩi M gc Vit tng tri qua 12 nm t ti Vit Nam, t Tt Mu Thn 1968 ljn 1980.

Bo Mercury News vit: "Cc nhn vin Vin Bo Tng pht biu rng h mong bn cnh nhng li ch trch, th hy cho php cc tc phm ngh thut t ni ln ting ni ca chnh n." Li pht biu ny tht ch l. Ngh thut c ting ni ca ngh thut. Hi ha l "nhng ting ni ca im lng" (Les voix du Silence-Andr Malraux).

NHNG BC TRANH Y V G v A RA THNG IP NO?
Hu ht nhng bc tranh trnh by trong cuc trin lm "Nghn Trng Xa Cch" l ting ni ca cc ha s Vit Nam ly NJ ti con ngܩi, dn tc, qu hng, t nܧc, ngoi tr mt bc ca Bu Ch dܧi nhan NJ "Chng Tch" b mt s ngܩi hoi nghi l c mang mt "thng ip chnh tr."

Mt s ngܩi khc cng khng cm thy ng khi thay v Nj "tranh t ni" th Ban t chc li ghi ch vo tranh. Chng hn ni bc tranh "Chng Tch" ca Bu Ch, ngܩi ta džc thy: "S au kh ca chnh ng v qu hng ng ܮc trnh by qua hnh nh u m v nhng con ngܩi b bt mt, cng tay, tra tn, ming b kha..."

Bc tranh c NJ ti "Bc tܩng" ca inh Cܩng cng c li ghi ch: "Ti ang i khu George Town th bt gp mt bc tܩng loang l v tn ri. T nhin nh hin ra trܧc mt ti, ngay trn tܩng , nhng b mt ca bn b t nhn chnh tr. Mt ngܩi l tu s Pht gio, mt hc gi rt ܮc knh trng, mt ngܩi khc l mt nh th. Bc tranh, nh ti quan nim, l ni v bt cng bt c ni u. y l mt vn NJ ph bin khng gii hn vo mt khng gian hay mt thi gian nht nh. L mt ngh s sng Hoa K, ti vn quan tm rt nhiu ljn nhng bn b cn sng trong ngho kh. Ti cha dt hn ܮc t nܧc ti!"

Bc "Xung thuyn" ca Trng Th Thnh, 68 tui, ha s nh c San Jose, c ghi ch: "Gi li kinh nghim di tn. Bn thuyn l ni chn sinh Ƕng ca nhng ngܩi ra i d xa d gn, tm trng ca nhng ngܩi ra i l chia ly, mt mt, c khi ni ljn l v nh..."

ng Nguyn Qu c gii thch nhng bc tranh ca Hong Ti v theo li hin i rng tranh "phn nh s phn au thng ca t nܧc Vit Nam -nhng tm vi b b ct la, tan nt, ging x, ang ܮc khu v li, hn gn li... Bn cnh bc tranh gn mt hoa hng: trong nhng au thng tan nt nht, chng ta hy cn hy vng."

Bc tranh "Vua h trn sn khu" v nm 1989 ti Cali ca H Thnh c, ܮc cho l c ngha "chnh tr trc tip nht." Ha s gii thch nh sau: "Bc tranh ny da vo ht bi, mt ngh thut nhc kch c truyn ca Vit Nam, tng t nh Kabaki ca Nht. ng vua, mt nhn vt c, mc y phc c truyn v mt ci mt n ht bi. Trong ǩi ti, chnh ph no cng nhiu quyn qu. Khng cn bit ng vua no eo mt n no, ngh ca ng vn l ni di vi dn v lm cho h mt nhn phm. Ci phng ca bc tranh tht p lm cho ngܩi ta lm tܪng ch Ƕ mi ngon lnh. Nhng b mt n i th u li vo . Ti lm bc ny chng thc l cho ti, khng phi Nj cho cng chng."

MT VI NHN XT KHC
Pha t chc th nht nh khot cho n chic o thun ty ngh thut vi hܧng v cng cao p: "We see the exhibit as a way to educate our audience and the community," b Josie Callan, Gim c San Jose Meseum of Art ni, "Our hope is that it will especially be meaningful for our Vietnamese community here" (Chng ti thy cuc trin lm ny nh mt cch Nj gio dc khn gi ca chng ta v cng ng Vit Nam ca chng ta y -ph trang Art ca bo San Jose Mercury News, ngy 19 thng 5, ni trang 3).

Pha chng i cuc trin lm th phn i " giao lu vn ha ca cng sn Vit Nam." H khng cn bit ljn thc cht ca tranh v v ha s bi mc ch ca pha u tranh l "chng giao lu vn ha mt chiu."

Mt v gio s ngh thut ti Emmanuel College Boston v l gim c ca chng trnh "Indochina Project," ng Thomas, l mt cu chin binh Vit Nam hi: "Why cant we get beyond the damm war and see the depth and beauty of the Vietnamese culture?" (Ti sao chng ta khng th vܮt ln trn cuc chin khn nn y Nj nhn vo nhng ch su xa v v p ca vn ha Vit Nam)?

Mt gio s khoa hc x hi ti San Jose State University, cng l c vn ca Vin Smithsonian (c quan su tp tranh), ng c Hin ni: "My feeling living in this community and having talked to many people is that the majority will welcome the exhibit," v "most have left the bitter legacy of the war behind them" (Cm tܪng ca ti khi sng trong cng ng ny v ni chuyn vi nhiu ngܩi l a s s cho n cuc trin lm ny. Hu ht b li Ǣng sau ci gia ti cay ǡng ca cuc chin).

VN C NGHN TRNG XA CCH
Ban T Chc cuc trin lm cho bit: C "76 tc phm ca 40 ha s Vit Nam hin sng ti Vit Nam v Hoa K" (Bn tin ngy 10/5 ca Vin Bo Tng San Jose). Ring ti San Jose, tng cܩng thm cc tc phm ca 9 ngh s ngܩi M gc Vit ti vng Vnh. Cc ha phm ܮc trng by hon ton khng ging nh li qung co ca Vin Bo Tng San Jose: "Ngh thut hin i ca Vit Nam ti Hoa K v ti Vit Nam -Nghn Trng Xa Cch." Ngܩi ta thy: gia qung co v tht t vn c "nghn trng xa cch".

Vin Smithsonian ln ny la chn tranh mt cch khng chnh ng.

Ha s Bi Xun Phi l mt bc thy hi ha, qua ǩi nm 1988, ha s Nguyn T Nghim, nay 74 tui, ha s Trn Lu Hu, nm nay 68 tui, mt gio s kh knh dy ti trܩng Cao ǣng M thut H Ni ngt 30 nm... C ba v hin nay khng c tranh mi sng tc. Cc ha s ny NJu xut thn t trܩng M Thut ng Dng ܮc thit lp vo nm 1925 bi ngܩi Php. Tranh ca h NJu chu nh hܪng ca Ty phng, ǥc bit l Php.

D lun t Vit Nam qua bi vit ca k gi Kristin Huckshorn, thng tn vin ca San Jose Mercury News ti H Ni, vch r rng: "Cc ha s c tranh trong cuc trin lm ny khng t cch i din ngh thut," rng "Nhiu ngܩi khng ai bit ljn," rng "tranh ܮc chn v quen bit, v thn v c th vi cc c quan chnh quyn." Dܧi nhan NJ: "Politics mars US Vietnam art exhibition" (chnh tr lm hi cuc trin lm ngh thut Hoa K Vit Nam), Kristin Huckshorn a ra nhiu s kin phi by s nhp nhng ca vic chn tranh trng by tranh ti San Jose. Bi bo vit: sau khi xem k danh sch, mt ngܩi pht biu: "y khng phi l nhng ngܩi i din." Mt ngܩi khc ni: "Tht ng tic, tht ti nghip." H cho bit mt vi ha s trong s ny hin l vin chc trong cc hi Ngh thut ca nh nܧc, hoc l gio s ti cc trܩng M thut c giy php ca nh nܧc.

Bi bo cho bit thm rng ngܩi ܮc Vin Smithsonian thu lm vic su tp tranh ti Vit Nam l David Thomas " thu thp nhng bc tranh ny t nm 1990 ljn nm 1991, vo lc Vit Nam mi ci t kinh t, sinh hot hi ha hin i Vit Nam lc cn giai on chp chng, phi thai."

K gi Kristin cng vn mn cho thy s lng cng bn trong cuc t chc v quan im chnh tr "ha hp ha gii" ca ng Thomas khng ܮc Vin Smithsonian chp nhn. ng Thomas bt mn v khng ܮc nh mun.

K gi Kristin Huckshorn cho thy khng pha no, k c nhng ngܩi t chc cuc trin lm lu Ƕng ton quc ny, hi lng v cuc trin lm ti y. Kristin kt lun: "Chnh tr ang ung thi, h nt ngh thut."

Nh vy th r rng l cuc trin lm ti Vin Bo Tng San Jose v ngh thut Vit Nam hin i ch l mt huyn thoi, v thc cht ca cc ha phm ang trng by khng c tnh cch tiu biu.

Phi chng y l mt kinh nghim nhc nhi, mt bi hc t nh nhc nh rng ngh thut l mt lnh vc ǥc bit i hi nng khiu v trnh Ƕ, khng th Nj nhng mc ch th tc, v li nh hܪng vo lm hoen .

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