Viet Nam daily life through Italian painter’s eyes

A painting exhibition opened at on September 18 at Casa Italia No. 18, Le Phung Hieu Street, Ha Noi, featuring images of contemporary daily life in Viet Nam through the personal perspective of Barbara Pellizzari, an Italian artist.



The event, part of the ‘Italian Year in Viet Nam’ programme, was held by the Embassy of Italy in Viet Nam and runs until October 9.

Under the theme ‘Attimi - Imagines of the ordinary in Viet Nam’, the exhibition offered ordinarily moments in daily life such as flying a kite, taking a siesta and returning home or reading a newspaper.

Painter Barbara said, “I cannot detach myself from what surrounds me. My work is the means of revealing how we can all be as deeply involved in our surroundings as I feel myself to be”.

She said that the paintings capture moments of quotidian existence, which are deeply resonant with suggestiveness and a surprising originality in the Viet Nam of 2014.

Especially, the Italian artist used ‘Do’ papers, Viet Nam’s time-honored paper. “I enjoyed some painting using ‘Do’ paper but this is first time I contemplate painting using ‘Do’ paper inlaid on canvas.” said Hai, a visitor.

Meanwhile a visitor from France, Fabien, said that the unique colours, tones and technique of composition showcased the personality of the artist.

Barbara expressed her admiration for contemporary schools of Popular Realism in Vietnamese Art. As an artist of Italian origin, she feels that her sojourn in Viet Nam has permitted and contributed to her artistic discovery of significance in the most ordinary of circumstances and everyday settings in this beautiful country.

Barbara Pellizzari was born in Turin, an important economic and cultural centre in northern Italy, and is qualified in fashion, theater design, and painting conservation.

She has worked in the field of art restoration with several art institutes in the US, Austria, Pakistan, and China, and gave art lessons at Shanghai Community International School in 1996.

In 2011, the artist organized her “Pebbles in My Pocket” expo in China whose artworks mainly used Chinese ink. Barbara and her family moved to Viet Nam in September 2012.

Last year, she put on ‘Cargo’, an exhibition that was aimed at promoting the dynamic and modern features of Ho Chi Minh City.