Released on 28 August 2006

Contemporary ceramic art exhibition from Australia
“A Secret History of Blue and White”

 (Hanoi, 12-26 September 2006)

Hanoi - The Australian Embassy presents an exhibition of contemporary ceramic art from Australia entitled A Secret History of Blue and White, to be launched by the Australian Charges d’affaires, Ms Andrea Faulkner, on Tuesday 12 September, 6.00 pm at the Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.

Stephen Bowers, Senior Curator and Managing Director of JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design will lead a discussion on Australian ceramics at the Exhibition Hall, Fine Arts Museum at 3.30 pm, Tuesday 12 September. Admission is free and all welcome.

The exhibition, A Secret History of Blue and White, includes 49 objects (19 works) created by five Australian ceramic artists working in the distinctive genera of blue and white. ‘Blue and White’ in this exhibition refers to a diverse and widespread type of ceramic ware, which has a long history in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including Vietnam. This exhibition, however, does not examine blue and white’s history, interpret its cultural significance or investigate its technical production. A Secret History of Blue and White focuses on a comparatively unknown area of the genera, one that might be described as individual, original and one-of-a-kind, as illustrated by the work of five contemporary Australian ceramic artists. Each of these artists have investigated personal ways to make cobalt ‘speak’, their individual voices adding other layers to the already complex story of blue and white. These works show contemporary artists can renovate and innovate in relation to what might be regarded as a classic form or tradition.

The opening of A Secret History of Blue and White in Hanoi will be the exhibition’s premier event, offering viewers in Hanoi the opportunity to be the first to see this remarkable collection. It will then tour to Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and other locations in the region. A Secret History of Blue and White is an exhibition project organized in partnership between Asialink Centre of The University of Melbourne and Jam Factory Contemporary Craft and Design. The exhibition has been supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

A Secret History of Blue and White will be on view at the Exhibition Hall in Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi until 26 September. The museum opens daily, except Mondays, from 8.30-17.00 and is open till 21.00 hrs every Wednesday and Saturday.

For more information, please contact:
Nguyen Thi Thanh An
Public Affairs and Cultural Relations Manager
Tel. 04-8317755 Ext. 302 or Mobile: 0903423440
Email: [email protected]

Digital photos of works are available upon request