MADS Magazine d'Art De Saigon - Volume #3 by MADS – Magazine d'Art De Saigon

Magazine d'Art De Saigon

#NARRATIVE #MYTH #SCULPTURE Magazine d'Art #ANIMATE De Saigon #DISGUISE # MAXIMECOMIC # SKETCH # 2D ARTIST # SCENARIST # FREEDOM #SELFTAUGHT #RAW #METALHEAD #MULTITASK #BATARDSENSIBLE #MOMENTKEEPER #AGUYWITHACAMERA #B&WPHOTOGRAPHER #ANALOGCAMERA #VUONGNGUYEN

Magazine d'A De Saigon

#CURIOUS #ENTHUSIASTIC #BLUNT #HAPPY #STUBBORN #COMICS #VINTAGE #NEON #MODELASIA #ABSTRACT #ONTHEROAD #CYANOTYPES #MYVIETNAM #ANALOGUEISNOTDEAD #EXPLORE #DAILYLIFEINVIETNAM #HANOI #EXPLORER #NIKON #PHOTOGRAPHER

Magazine d'Ar De Saigon

Magazine d'Art De Saigon

Ben Wayman

Maxime Peroz

A project means a chance to learn something new - a good one is always worth more than the sum of its parts.

Illustration Means to me: Pieces of life stories collection

When I build I am looking for some chemistry between a material and a story or concept. A story is a very slippery thing with far too many angles. #NARRATIVE #MYTH #SCULPTURE #ANIMATE #DISGUISE

When I sketch: I catch a moment. It is a pleasure to express my feeling, my thought and imagination from my mind and put it all on a blank paper. A sketchbook is: My memory keeper. A brush is: A tool that helps the artist performing their skills and art. # MAXIMECOMIC # SKETCH # 2D ARTIST # SCENARIST # FREEDOM

Julie Vola

Jerome Peschard

Photography is for me the extension of an intense but elusive emotion of Beauty in the world. I am captivated by the power of an image (photographic or not), in love with it and being able to create one is the most exhilarating thing I know.

Painting to you means: Telling stories and creating compositions with the pictures.

When I frame the image I sometimes find myself overthinking geometry, lines, or directions. This may be the result of having taught the same photography classes for too long. A camera is a poetic device. #ONTHEROAD #CYANOTYPES #MYVIETNAM #ANALOGUEISNOTDEAD #EXPLORE

A canvas is: Never finished, hahaha. When I paint: I would want to be in a bubble where the time just stops for me! A brush is: It is one of the tools of expression of your desire and frustrations. #COMICS #VINTAGE #NEON #MODELASIA #ABSTRACT

Fabrice Wittner

Vuong Nguyen

Photography is the best way I found to communicate

Photography to me means telling visual stories of humanity and love.

When I frame the image I ask myself if another angle would have been better

When I frame the image, I try to create an imperfect - romantic photograph.

A camera is another tool

A camera is a moment keeper.

#SELFTAUGHT #RAW #METALHEAD #MULTITASK #BATARDSENSIBLE

#MOMENTKEEPER #AGUYWITHACAMERA #B&WPHOTOGRAPHER #ANALOGCAMERA #VUONGNGUYEN

Loes Heerink

Michael Groissl

Photography to you means doing what I love

Photography is a way for me to travel back in time. To see history through the eyes of the photographer. Everyone has there own way to tell a story, and evoking emotions.

When I frame the image I try to look at the foreground, middle ground and background. I also think about what it is I want to see in the image beforehand. A camera is a tool #CURIOUS #ENTHUSIASTIC #BLUNT #HAPPY #STUBBORN

When I frame an image I try to have everything I want inside the frame and everything I don’t want out of the frame. It’s not that I don’t agree with cropping but why not skip that step if you frame your shot properly. A camera is a way to freeze a moment in time, the good and the bad. It’s like having a superhero power. Freezing time would be my superhero power if I had one. #DAILYLIFEINVIETNAM #HANOI #EXPLORER #NIKON #PHOTOGRAPHER 5

VISUAL ARTIST

ben wayman #NARRATIVE | #MYTH | #SCULPTURE | #ANIMATE | #DISGUISE

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M The problem was that by focusing on the changing persona of the character, I ended up highlighting a common trope in the mythology of female characters being untrustworthy, alien and imbalanced – contrary to the very core of the project.

y name’s Ben, I come from Snowdonia – a very beautiful, rural part of Wales in the United Kingdom. As a kid I was obsessed with gods and monsters and spent all my time reading, drawing and building ridiculous dens and catapults. It seemed like a natural progression to channel all of these interests into a career in art – so I set my heart on becoming a serious painter. Luckily for me, this idea was destroyed in college when I found out that I could spend all my time learning lots of different ‘small skills’ instead. I have not looked back since. I moved to HCMC to teach art over 3 years ago – it was a big deal for me travelling to Vietnam, it would be my first time living in a big city. Since then I have fallen hard for the pure scale, opportunity and mesh of cultures that is Saigon. I particularly enjoy the range and availability of materials - from scrap on street corners to the huge fabric, metal and paper markets. Most of my time is spent salvaging, fixing, breaking and building things in my workshop in Bình Thạnh while working as an art teacher, freelance artist and fabricator. My art practice consists of many different disciplines. Right now I’m really interested in mixing sculpture, costume and animation to explore ideas of identity and background. I tend to use a combination of different media to play with a story or idea, often twisting something traditional by mixing it with something current. I draw a lot of inspiration from artists like Charles Avery and Cornelia Parker who use a huge range of objects and practices in their work. The Kitsuné project started as a tribute to the female role models in my life, mixed with

elements of a shape-shifting character from Japanese folklore. I made a collection of sculptures and animation machines that changed and shifted depending on movement and light; I loved the idea of building something delicate that could take on a fierce or independent character. However, after finishing these pieces, I quickly became dissatisfied with the results. The problem was that by focusing on the changing persona of the character, I ended up highlighting a common trope in the mythology of female characters being untrustworthy, alien and imbalanced – contrary to the very core of the project. I also began to question if there was any way to carry the project forward without reinforcing an outsider’s view on femininity and womanhood. What did I, as a middle-class white boy, know about being a woman in modern-day Vietnam? The simplest answer seemed to be to ask people who would know better, so I opened the project up. It is now a growing communal piece. Using the same mix of bamboo and nylon I built a semi-transparent fox mask – something that would half reveal and half blur the subject’s identity with that of the Kitsuné fox. Each subject is then photographed with the Kitsuné mask and answers 2 questions. Her response is added to a growing anonymous archive of thoughts and opinions from a variety of women across Vietnam. There are only 2 conditions: – Subject identifies as female/feminine – Subject must have spent at least a year living in Vietnam. The project is ongoing. if you or someone you know if interested in joining, drop me an email.

ILLUSTRATOR

maxime peroz #CREATIVE | #CURIOUS | #EASY GOING | #OPEN-MINDED | #DISTRACTED

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My first travel to Vietnam was 20 years ago, in Saigon. After that, at least once a year, I came back to Saigon, my second homeland.

y name is Maxime, I was born in the 70’s. In the North East of France, in Montbéliard, Franche-Comté. It is the place where cold winter blesses us with snow and cheese is almost our religion. My mother worked as a primary teacher and my father was a furniture maker. We lived in a cosy and beautiful country house near rivers and fields. I spent my childhood playing with friends in the forest and riding the bicycle. I enjoyed the debut of the first video games ever. In my town, all the kids were the same age. We devoted our free time outside or in front of our TV screen. We were trying to beat the records at Pac-Man, Zaxxon or Donkey Kong. When I was a young boy, we believed we could do whatever we loved to do. With the most inspiring magazine of that time: “Métal Hurlant”, my uncle was my first guide. He introduced me to the culture of “bande dessinee”, or what we called “comics” in English. To some people of my generation, Métal Hurlant is the bible that changed the world of comics. I was devouring the unconventional stories of Jodorowsky. Many of the topics were new to me. I was 12 years old and the magazine was for adults, but, oh! Such a shock, such an exquisite discovery! The mesmerizing talent of the famous Euro comics. With titles such as Moebius, Arno and Druillet exploded at every page. I was impressed; I wanted to draw like them. I spent hours drawing my favourite characters every day after school. The pure joy of being a kid who didn’t notice the consequences of the attempt to master his skills. I grew up drawing all the time. Drawing shaped my orientation. For me to

become a student of the ISBA of Besancon and the art décoratifs of Strasbourg University. And also, a stepping-stone inspired my career and my path as an artist. After my graduation, I started my travelling. With a curious and young-heart to explore the world around. I visited first Vietnam and then Japan. After that, I got the travelling fever! Now, travelling and sketching the world around me became my usual routine.

y first travel to Vietnam was 20 years ago, in Saigon. After that, at least once a year, I came back to Saigon, my second homeland. Silent as a watcher, I have seen that city evolving and changing through the years. Of all its qualities, the energy of Saigon remains unrivalled. The calls of the street vendors “Dừa xiêm đây… Dừa xiêmmmm”. The crazy noisy traffic all around. The strong social links that irrigate the Vietnamese culture. The combination of the bad and good smells that attack your senses everywhere you go. Saigon can’t let anyone be indifferent. Saigon has its hidden charm and always called me back when I was away. Nowadays, pollution, franchises and industrial development, make me feel regret for Saigon. There was a time you could feel free to drive motorbike along the streets with no cars, no traffic. But past is the past and evolution goes on, with or without me. Usually, I start my day by finding a nice coffee shop, drinking a typical “Cà phê sữa đá” and sketching the local life. It is a pleasure. I try to capture what belongs to this city atmosphere. It can be anything. Ordinary,

#TRUE #BLACK AND WHITE #TRAVELLING #STORYTELLERS #CULTURE POINTS

surprising, normal or specific; it always comes with a story behind. I don’t use any colour to render the world around me. I love the pure visual impact of black and white. Simple, but the truth lies beneath the details. Vietnam is an unlimited source of inspiration. From its unique architecture to the busy night markets and hidden narrow streets (ngõ hẻm). Everything is worthy to draw. Over time, I gathered memories by memories in my sketchbooks. All those sketches tell about the people I met and the great events that punctuated my life. As a result, I wanted to share my experiences and the “Big Bang Saigon” comic book project was born. It is a love story that takes place in Saigon. That graphic novel is partial my true story and partial fiction. In early 2017, it was published in France and was praised by the critics. Travels and romances are interesting and beautiful. Big Bang Saigon definitely brings that flavour to life.

ketching is important at any levels for a comic book author, an illustrator. It enriches and boosts our work; it helps to connect our brain to hands in a skilful way. Sketching is also all about the moment; especially when we draw the portrait of someone we just meet. I could say, it helps to connect the world and lead to great friendships. In 2001, I met my friend, Thanh, in Hoi An, when I was drawing the peaceful scenery around his house. Since then, he welcomes me every time I visit his town. In 2006, Makoto came spontaneously to speak to me, because I was sketching his ramen shop in Minoo, Japan. And many other good relationships come to me that way, from different places all around the world.

I felt grateful and started to develop my idea to combine travelling and sketching. To the extent that, last year, I proposed a tour to my artist friends and students from France. I brought them to travel around Vietnam. I showed them the unique culture they could sketch. I also provided them lessons of sketching. The result amazed me. It made me expand my projects to even Vietnamese and foreigners who would like to travel and sketch. Artists, beyond drawing, sketching or photographing, they use their own language as storytellers. Or, ambassadors to link culture closer. Art, in general, is a way to get connected to the present time. It is a total activity, a diving into the reality that leads to creativity. We wake up in the morning and go to sleep in the evening; we have produced something that fulfilled our day. To the young artists, I would say, get your distance with the devices and screens that devours your time. Start your trip at any time you can! Go and absorb the real world with all its images, sounds and spirits. An artist is not a sheep, neither a photocopy machine. Don’t misunderstand my words. We need years of practice and guideline from early generations. We need the experiences to master our skills and achieve a certain level of detachment. The challenge in this industry you might face is sometimes you have to go against your own values. Or your sense of art, to fulfil orders from clients. Slowly, you will realize the importance of controlling your “artist ego” inside, to balance. But be aware that feeding the marketing system, even with the most appealing illustrations, is not art. If you want to be an artist, don’t be a follower. Don’t try to please the crowd, don’t listen to the main voices, but only your inner voice. Be honest with yourself and put your best in your work. Now, just be well prepared first!

PHOTOGRAPHER

Fabrice wittner #SELFTAUGHT | #RAW | #METALHEAD | #MULTITASK | #BATARDSENSIBLE

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Most of my works include photography, although I love to try new stuff. Lately, I spent some time designing and screen printing tees.

’m a French artist (mostly photographer), father of two, nature enthusiast and adrenaline lover. Self-taught in almost everything I do. I might be hyperactive, but I’m not sure yet. During teenage-hood, I went through drawing, painting, tattooing... to finally find my way to photography. I bought a Nikon Coolpix 5000 to shoot my work back when I was tattooing. I quickly felt better with a camera in hands than a tattoo gun. We don’t realize how stressing it can be to ink someone for life. So I decided to sell my tattoo gears to my best friend to buy a better camera. From there, I started to learn photography and never stopped learning. Never stop shooting either. Once I felt good enough with that new tool I decided I could try to make a living in photography. I shot a lot of outdoor sports like snowboard, free ski, mountain bike or

slackline. I had a great time doing that because I was myself a big outdoor sports enthusiast. In the same time, I was working on other projects, mainly portraits and light painting. Most of my works include photography, although I love to try new stuff. Lately, I spent some time designing and screen printing tees. I must be a kind of Swiss army knife artist. Several ongoing projects are based on other mediums than photography. I work on a book with an illustrator friend. It is about tales and legends from Alsace, our homeland. I’m also about to start a collaboration with a sailboat expedition named ATKA. I’ll be working with kids on Arctic endangered animals and light painting. Besides, I have a full-time job at Slack.fr where I’m a designer, illustrator and photographer. No chance I get bored before a while...

his project is called “Rồng Di Sản, Dragon Legacy”. I wasn’t looking for that kind of ethnologic project when I started. But I met a young tour guide in Sapa who pushed me in. We were drinking together every evening for almost a week. We became friends as we gave English lessons to the kids from some nearby villages. He invited me to visit his home in Ha Giang Province to meet different minorities and take some portraits. I was staying in Hanoi and wasn’t really busy so decided to follow him. And that trip was actually epic. We were both riding a single bike all around the mountains of Ha Giang. We weren’t travelling light as I was carrying a lot of gears. I knew how I wanted to picture these people with their traditional costumes, no matter the logistic... We drove around the province for a week, met a dozen of different ethnic groups, drank more riu than we should, we were invited to a wedding, twice, ate dog, also twice, we drank even more riu to finally end at the jumping fire festival in Tân Bắc, Quang Bình, surrounded by more people than I could count. It was a very special experience for me. I met numerous people within that week and portrayed thirty of them. It was a great week and a wonderful time. Although it was sometimes tough. It was the first time I shot total strangers with such a difference of culture. I mean not in “holiday travel” way. If I never had the feeling of having a lack of respect while I was shooting, I mostly felt uncomfortable to “buy” the pictures I was taking. I first thought it would be an exchange, but I didn’t realize I had nothing to give. But money... Once back in Hanoi, I decided to print the pictures of every “model” and send them to my friend in Ha Giang, he would be the postman from there. Unfortunately, the pictures never arrived at him. I felt bad about that and realized I was not quite prepared to do these photos the way I wanted. Understand in an ethically correct way. But the photos were good, the experience was however enriching. I also had an encouraging feedback from the Museum

of Ethnology in Hanoi that pushed me to continue the project. Two years later I was once again on a motorbike with my friend’s cousin and all my gears, going on an adventure across Loa Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son Là and other provinces of the northern region of Vietnam. I brought my Hasselblad 500cm with a Polaroid back to make some pictures I could give to the models. The Polaroids were quite successful, what makes me happy too because I finally had something to share. In 2014, I realized I had more to share and to learn. Thanks to Mr Vinh. Vinh is a tour guide in his 60’s I met in 2014 in KonTum. We only spent two days together but we quickly liked each other. Vinh is from the Bah Nar minority and a well of knowledge about the minorities of Central Highlands and the southern region of Vietnam. He proposed to help me plan my last journey across the southern part of the country and I met him again in 2015 for the last part of my project. During the long talks that we were used to having, I understood the meaning of that project. It seems obvious that these photos are some still memories of Vietnamese traditions. People from the minorities wear more and more western clothes, keeping the traditional costumes only for ceremonies or special occasions. I grew up in Alsace, a part of France were traditions were strong. In one hand, it remains a fantastic architectural heritage, but in the other hand my generation is not speaking our dialect anymore, the last traditional costumes were worn a century from now. Most of our culture is now to be found in museums. The strong and living heritage in Vietnam probably helped me realized how much we lost in Europe. It’s without any nostalgia that I went through that project. It rather made me realized and appreciate how rich and fragile was the culture I was witnessing. #HERITAGE #VIETNAM #ETHNOLOGY #MINORITIES #COLORFUL

PHOTOGRAPHER

Vuong Nguyen #MOMENTKEEPER | #AGUYWITHACAMERA | #B&WPHOTOGRAPHER | #ANALOGCAMERA | #VUONGNGUYEN

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I still remember precisely the beauty of that moment, when I was gazing at the large yellow light that is slowly coming out from the horizon of the ocean, the sun of that time was like a massive fireball in my taken photos.

uong Nguyen is my name and Saigon is my hometown. I am a photographer, an artist and a self-taught filmmaker; recently I’m studying Visual Arts at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Regarding photography, I’ve taken photographs for more than 5 years, the very first chance for me to use a camera is when I went out on a road trip to Long Hai in Ba Ria provide with my friend, she lent me her camera, and it was a Canon 60D, we took many photos of the sunrise and the ocean. I still remember precisely the beauty of that moment, when I was gazing at the large yellow light that is slowly coming out from the horizon of the ocean, the sun of that time was like a massive fireball in my taken photos. Therefore, I was fell in love with photography from that day. So, taking photo became my biggest hobby, I got for myself a Nikon D90 which is also my first camera; I spent much time just hanging out Saigon and some places to take pictures. Taking photographs means you can freeze special moments that happening around you. I would say photography is a ticket for you to become a time traveller whenever you have a look through all your pictures you have taken. Since then I’m having for myself more than five cameras including digital and analogue ones. Now I’m using mostly is Nikon F5 and Nikon FM II which are amazing cameras.

Lover of no one is the newest photographic series of mine; I used an analogue camera which was Nikon FM II with Rollei 35mm film to capture pictures of street life in Sydney. Also with photos in black and white, there is more contrast of deep feeling that I want to give the viewers. Moreover, Lover of no one also is a recognition of a disconnected society. Even though Sydney is a most crowded city in the world, but somehow, I found the emptiness, loneliness of people in modern society. Each person is invisible to another, and there is no contact, not much engagement between people. It was challenging when I decided to make the series, and there was two big obstacle that I faced. Firstly, my biggest question was how can I put strong human emotions into photographs? It was difficult to describe my feeling by photographing, so when I took a photo for the Lover of no one, I applied different compositions and techniques. You can see some of the pictures are made by using long exposure photographic technique. Secondly, always be carefully adjust a camera because I was using Nikon FM II, not like a digital camera I could not see photos after taking it, so understanding of photography technique is essential. #SYDNEY #PHOTOGRAPHY #EMPTYSOCIETY

hen I have been studying deeper both practical and theoretical lessons in photography, I love photography more. The deeper understanding about photography, the fewer photos I take, I think due to my philosophy of photography has been changed. Therefore, I’m using analogue cameras instead of using digital ones. Using film cameras help you to calm yourself and you must understand your camera before taking photos. Otherwise, the images from an analogue camera, for me, is more valuable, not only about the process of developing the negative but also about the narrative of each photo cause sometimes you have a roll of film that’s mean 23 or 36 times to take a photo. So, you must have thought about the moment you should or should not photographing. Honestly, I was inspired a lot by the

works of Fan Ho, Saul Leiter, Stephen Dupont and Sebastiao Salgado. They are all great photographer. Every time that I feel lost, need the motivation to create a new project, always look at their works as a simple way for me to recharge energy. The next few years I think I could challenge myself in cinemaphotography. I could apply photography knowledge into making a film because I think a connection between photography and filmmaking is a very close gap. If I have a chance to advise another one who wants to become a photographer, I would have two sentences to send out: – “Understand your camera and believe in your eyes”. – “Your first camera is for practising, but your last one is to tell stories.”

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

julie vola #ONTHEROAD | #CYANOTYPES | #MYVIETNAM | #ANALOGUEISNOTDEAD | #EXPLORE

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P I came to Vietnam in 2010 initially for a three months trip, and after three weeks I decided not to return home. This is somehow a common story you hear among foreigners in Vietnam.

hotography is my happy place. Light and Time and Space. How they intertwine together is so much more than pushing a button. The Light moves me so deeply, I could almost cry, it makes me feel it all so much more. Photography freezes time, holds it still on the surface while digging deep in the human consciousness to expose our relation to memories and time passing by. All of this, contained in the space of a frame. How you arrange the elements, the decisions you make about depth, what you do about the off-camera is just as important as what you put in. All of this resonates within me. I am out there in front of the world, from the fringe looking at it, and at the same time I am fully engaged in it, I am all in. I came to Vietnam in 2010 initially for a three months trip, and after three weeks I decided not to return home. This is somehow a common story you hear among foreigners in Vietnam. What makes my story a little different though is the strong familial bond that I have with Hanoi. My grandfather was born in Hanoi from a French family established in colonial Vietnam since at least 1880; he grew up here as well as his sister. In 1950 he was sent to Vietnam as a surgeon to run a field hospital north of Hue. He left Vietnam before the battle of Dien Bien Phu. About his childhood, I have very few details as he rarely talked about it. After he passed away, my family discovered, forgotten

on a shelf for decades, old photo albums. These came from my grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own grandfather. As a photographer, I naturally became very interested in these. There were a lot of photos of the railway construction he worked on. But it was the landscape photos that I liked the most. These old black and white landscape where the only images I had purposely looked at before coming to Vietnam. I did not want to look at modern images to not spoil the surprise. I wanted a cultural shock to shake my preconceived ideas. And what a shock it was, that did not stop me from falling deeply in love with the country. My first camera was a Minolta SLR my parents had given me when I was 16 years old, I think. My dad is an amateur watercolour artist who can draw well. I always wanted to do the same but could not draw as well as him and very early on I got self-conscious about it and stopped pursuing it. I liked the idea of photography though; taking photos was a lot more pleasant. I could easily capture the moments when I would feel something strongly about seeing the world. I played around for a bit but I had no idea what it was really all about. I really started learning the craft later in the USA during a year abroad program. I had teachers who were very supportive of my work and without whom I would not be here today. They gave me the confidence to go study first in a Fine Art school and later on in a photography school.

ietnam in Cyanotypes is a collection of some of my favourite photos of Vietnam and its people. They come from almost a decade of exploring Vietnam on assignment, as a traveller and as a resident of this beautiful country. I chose to use a 19th-century cyanotype printing technique. At first, I used cyanotype mainly as an experiment but quickly it re-established an analogue and handcrafting aspect in my photography process that I had back in school and that I had put aside when I took digital photography. The cyanotype process was one of the first non-silver technologies used to create photographic images that originated in 1842 after Sir John Herschel discovered the procedure. The typical procedure is to create the sensitizer with a mix of equal part green ferric ammonium solution and potassium ferricyanide solution. Despite the chemical sounding names, these products are not dangerous. Once the sensitizer is ready you can apply the solution onto paper, or fabric (or any porous surface really). Let it dry completely in the dark. The cyanotype process is a negative photo

process, black will become white and white/ transparency will be blue. You can choose an object (like a Rayogram), a flower, a drawing on transparent paper or a photo negative (anything you want really). I use two large pieces of glass to make sure the paper stays flat. Finally, you put the sensitized paper under sunlight or UV light and let it be exposed until the yellow/green colour turns into grey/ bronze. Exposure time varies depending on the light source. Once exposed, rinse the paper under running water until clear, now your cyanotype is blue. Let it dry. Sir John Herschel did not intend to use cyanotype for photography, but as a copying technique. The cyanotype processes were widely used to create copies of technical and architectural plans and were called blueprints. These photos, in their monochrome format, are, in a way, my blueprints of Vietnam and its people. The print simplicity and yet depth give a dreamy aspect to the photos. They add a layer of poetry, one that extends beyond the content within the frame. It abstracts the photos from their mundane context and gathers them under a poetic evocation of my memories.

FINE ART PAINTER

Jerome Peschard #COMICS | #VINTAGE | #NEON | #MODELASIA | #ABSTRACT

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Making the decision to dedicate the rest of my life to art and painting was hard. I had to accept the risk I am taking. But, it is the price of doing what I love. I cannot imagine a life without art.

am Jerome Peschard, A.K.A Skullface, a Frenchman exiled to Asia since the 2010s. Self-taught and influenced by the Universal “Pop Culture-Urban-Comics”, I focus on the importance of illustration, the texture and the support that allows me to express my Asian everyday life with its risks and unforeseen events. Thus mixing fiction and reality. It is also the entanglement of the frustrating and ceaseless streams of my thoughts. My ideas multiply endlessly. They never stop. I have over 35 years of professional experience in the field of comics, multimedia, animation and toys! It is only natural to me, with all of these cultural codes and references circulating in my thoughts, that I try to put them all into an art form. I now concentrate on painting for my own pleasure for the rest of my remaining years. In Vietnam, I create my collections. I painted “ DESIRED EAST / WEST” in 2017 and “SOUL LIGHT”, I started end of 2018. This will be my new exhibition. Techniques: Oil painting, acrylic and spray on rectangular steel sheets that have been recycled from construction sites in Ho Chi Minh City. I make my composite images and stories based on my own experience living in such a rapidly changing city as Ho Chi Minh City. I fell in love with both the American the European comics books. My mom gave me my first comic book and painting kit when I was 8. The kit was oil painting and the first comic was Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby had a strong impact on me.

I began to paint heroes and the lighthouses at the seaside of Britany. That was the start of a long journey of art exploration. Growing up as an art and comics consumer from the age of 8 made it natural to return to the source of my love and joy. Many times I have started art-related businesses and I have encountered numerous challenges and experienced being in the right place at the wrong moment. Making the decision to dedicate the rest of my life to art and painting was hard. I had to accept the risk I am taking. But, it is the price of doing what I love. I cannot imagine a life without art. I do not know if I have a definitive project, but, of course, I work on a project. I work on the theme of pop culture that inspires me, but, the most important for me is to express my flow of endless ideas and images. They feed my head every day like a hyperactive person and I wish to create all of them! What inspired you? Pop Art, Pop Culture, the renaissance... Jean Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Robert Rauschenberg, Murakami, Ed Paschke, Erró, Richard Hamilton, Pollock Jackson, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and, of course, other modern artists. I love so much these pictures!!! What was the main obstacle you faced? The time (weather) and forgetting my ideas!

selling, because it comes naturally in the end. We decided to expose our art to the eyes of others!!! There are also effective solutions, but, a little expensive. You organise your own exhibition, but, you normally have to give 50% commission to the galleries. Try finding other outlets like a bar or restaurant and negotiate Where do you see yourself going by using your network, you pay 10-15% within the next few years? With the commission for each sale they can bring you. current speed of life, I would say being alive They get more customers and more revenue and enjoying the simple things while being from food and drinks because you promote surrounded by my children. Also, being rich in them. Everybody wins. The main objective experience while I am painting what I like! As is to sell, even though I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like selling my long as I can paint, I am happy. work, because I need to take care of my family. I need to provide for them and still have the What is your advice to other artists? luxury to paint for myself. That is difficult to answer! Every experience is unique and luck has to favour you. Lady What was your hardest assignment Luck crossing paths with you and leading you and why? To have time to organize my straight to success is rare. I would simply tell exhibitions and advertise them. Also, to find you to do not stop expressing yourself and the funds for the materials of certain paintings find support. Get the help of an assistant to that require extra resources such as custom promote you without looking for success and glass shaping and to make neon and so on... What made you fall in love with painting? I think that everything has to start with Jack Kirby and the Renaissance, but, also later with James Jean, Jim Mahfood and many others. Because the list is very long for a fan of images.

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

Loes Heerink #CURIOUS | #ENTHUSIASTIC | #BLUNT | #HAPPY | #STUBBORN

Website | Facebook | Instagram

While waiting on the bridges I got a glimpse into the lives of the vendors. They all seem to know each other, make a chat and walk on again. The vendors

y name is Loes Heerink, 29 years old. I was born and raised in the Netherlands. I bought a Sony when I was 19. There was a dragonfly in my parents garden and I thought it was so beautiful. I wanted to enjoy it in the winter too so I decided to buy a camera. I spent days in my parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pond to take a photo of it, like literally in the pond. I realised dragonflies fly in some kind of pattern. I picked a nice spot and waited patiently. When it finally sat down and I knew I got the settings right I was so happy! I never really put the camera down after that. I learned how to shoot in manually years after. Probably somewhere in 2014.

really inspired me.

Merchants in Motion What made you choose this project? When I first arrived in Vietnam in 2011 I immediately liked the street vendors. All the colours. But more importantly all the stuff they carry on their cycles! I am from the Netherlands. My family owes more bicycles then it counts people. I also have two cycles. I was impressed. I wanted to take a picture of the vendors without any of the distraction of the city on the background. Just the vendors. As much as I like Hanoi, the hustle and bustle just seemed a distraction to the vendors. So I decided to go up, take a higher vantage point. While waiting on the bridges I got a glimpse into the lives of the vendors. They all seem to know each other, make a chat and walk on again. The vendors really inspired me. They are so kind and every single one of them I spoke to let me into their lives and told me their story. 66

I think street vendors make Hanoi the city that it is. It is so convenient, plus all the colours! I hope in ten years, or twenty years there will still be street vendors in Hanoi. What was the main obstacle you faced? Not a lot, rainy days maybe. And sometimes no vendors walked past the bridge for hours. When and where did you capture these images? In 2015 from August to December and in March 2017 What made you fall in love with photography? The thrill of chasing good pictures. I really like that moment when you know you got the shot you have been thinking of. With the vendors series, it took me some months to get a flower vendor on a picture, when I finally saw a flower vendor approach I was ready for the shot, I took the shot and I knew it was a good shot! I was so happy! Who inspire you? French photographer Rehanh, Hans Kemp of course. But also Chris Burkhard and Pie Aerts. Where do you see yourself going within the next few years? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know. I will just continue walking on my photography projects like I am doing now. We will see where it leads. Or not leads :) What is your advice to other artists? You can only get better. Each time I go out photographing I grow as a photographer. Looking back at my pictures I try to think about what makes it good or what could I have done to make it better.

#FROMABOVE #MERCHANTSINMOTION #FEMALEMIGRANTS #VENDORS #VIETNAMHIDDENBEAUTY 67

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

Michael Groissl #DAILYLIFEINVIETNAM | #HANOI | #EXPLORER | #NIKON | #PHOTOGRAPHER

Kickstarter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Website

Photography is a medium that I’ve fallen in love with it. I feel that I can really express myself through this medium.

y name is Michael Groissl I’ve was brought up in upstate New York. For the people that don’t know, upstate New York is not New York City. As a child I was always outdoors doing anything from hiking, climbing trees, swimming, etc. My first camera I had was a Polaroid IZone. It was a green instant film camera. I thought this was the coolest thing I could have gotten for Christmas that year. Years later I saw my friends taking 35mm film black and white photos and developing photos in the darkroom. I was fascinated with the pictures they were taking and knew this was something I want to get into. So I bought my first Pentax film camera and a few rolls of film. I took a few classes to learn how to develop film and photos. I loved every about it from the smell of the darkroom to the creative and technical process of taking a photo. This was my first real introduction to photography.

My mother asked me, “What I wanted to do when I was older?” I told her, “ I wanted to move far away from the United States and live in another country.” It was always a dream of mine to experience how other people live in this world. I would always see beautiful pictures of places far away and knew I would see these places one day. Later on, I joined the United States Navy. I was an (AD) Aviation Machinist Mate. This was my first opportunity to travel abroad. After finishing my training in the United States I was stationed with VFA-27 in Atsugi, Japan. I couldn’t have been happier to live in another country. Taking the opportunity to travel and take pictures around Japan and documenting the workplace on land and sea. Photography is a medium that I’ve fallen in love with it. I feel that I can really express myself through this medium. I’ve tried other mediums but for me the best way to express myself through a creative way is photography.

he project I’m currently working on is a photo book called Daily Life in Northern Vietnam – The North. I choose this project because of my love towards this country and the people in it! The book is divided into three parts landscapes, cities, and people to show daily life in Northern Vietnam. The photo book is a 30x30 soft cover, in both colour and black & white, printed on high-quality paper from Japan. The book is in both English and Vietnamese. Everything about Vietnam has inspired me to do this project. From the beautiful, kind, and generous people, the stunning mountains and the hustle and bustle of the cities. The real question is there anything that Vietnam can’t inspire you to do? The biggest obstacle I faced was myself. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to perfection in my photography. A lot of times a photo will be great but in my mind, it’s not good enough for my expectations. I capture all of these photos over the last two years around the Northern regions of Vietnam. My friends from high school made me fall in love with photography. I would see all the hard work and creativity they would put into it and made me want to do the same. Anthony Bourdain has inspired me to do a lot including my photography. I would see the passion he

would put into his work and I wanted to do the same with photography. In the next few years, I hope to see myself still travelling the world and documenting different cultures, landscapes and people through my lens. I have also started to pick up a new hobby in filming so I would like to see this myself completing more projects in filming too. My advice I would give other artist is keep following your passion. Someone will appreciate the beauty of your creative work. The hardest part of this assignment was cutting the book down to 200 pages. There are still so many pictures I would have liked to include. On the other hand, this gives me a good excuse to start another project with the pictures. I would like to start a project more local next about the beautiful city of Hanoi but I’ll take one project at a time for now. #DAILYLIFEINVIETNAM #NORTHENVIETNAM #PHOTOBOOK #VIETNAM #KICKSTARTER

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A walk covering the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s captivating past and frenetic present For more : Check out www.oldcompasstravel.com or visit us at The Old Compass Cafe 3rd Floor, 63/11 Pasteur St, D1, HCMC

Classified Directory Apricot Gallery

Atiq Sai Gon

Vin Gallery

Spring Gallery

50–52 Mac Thi Buoi, Ben Nghe,

38 Le Cong Kieu, District 1,

6 Le Van Mien, Thao Đien,

1A Le Thi Hong Gam, District 1,

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

http://www.apricotgallery.com.vn/

https://www.facebook.com/

http://www.vingallery.com/showing

http://springgalleries.com/

Vietnam ART Gallery

Studio & Gallery

27i Tran Nhat Duat, Tan Đinh,

* * * Lotus Gallery

80 Nguyen Hue,

Long Thanh Art

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

100 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia,

Ben Nghe Ward, District 1,

126 Hoang Van Thu,

http://cthomasgallery.com/

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

Nha Trang City

http://www.lotusgallery.vn

http://www.vietnampainting.vn/

http://www.longthanhart.com/

private museum

Salon Saigon

Ben Thanh Art & Frame

Art of Hanoi Vietnam

31C Le Quy Don, Ward 7,

6D Ngo Thoi Nhiem, Ward 7,

7 Nguyen Thiep,

1703B AZ Sky

District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Ben Nghe Ward, District 1,

Building Dinhcong,

http://www.salonsaigon.com

Ho Chi Minh City

Hoangmai, Hanoi

* * *

Craig Thomas Gallery

* * *

Duc Minh art gallery –

* * * Eight gallery

* * *

http://benthanhart.com/

Art Gallery Triệu Đóa

8 Phung Khac Khoan

Hồng - Saigon Clay Art

* * *

http://artofhanoi.com/

Lafayette Building

Dia Projects

Eye Art Gallery

Ward Da Kao, District 1,

440/7 Nguyen Kiem, Ward 3,

Dia Studio, Street No 3,

No.45, No.1 Street – 26B,

Ho Chi Minh City

District Phu Nhuan,

Binh Hung, Ho Chi Minh City

Ward 7, Go Vap District,

http://eightgallery.com.vn/

Ho Chi Minh City

http://www.diaprojects.org/

Ho Chi Minh City

* * *

https://saigonclayart.com/

* * *

http://www.eyegalleryvn.com/

Arts Centre

*San*Art*

3rd Floor, 104A Xuan Thuy,

Nguyen Art Gallery

15 Nguyen U Di, Thao Đien,

3F, Cà Phê Thứ Bảy Trẻ,

Thao Dien, District 2,

No 31A, Van Mieu, Hanoi http://www.nguyenartgallery.com/

The Factory Contemporary

Art Space

District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

264B Nam Ky Khoi Nghia,

Ho Chi Minh City

http://factoryartscentre.com/

District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

https://www.facebook.com/

http://san-art.org/

artspace104/

* * *

of Fine Arts

* * * Couleurs d’Asie by Rehahn

97A Pho Đuc Chinh,

151/7 Dong Khoi, Floor 1,

53 Ho Tung Mau,

Ward Nguyen Thai Bin,

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

https://www.facebook.com/

http://www.tudoart.com/

Ho Chi Minh City Museum

* * *

Couleurs.dAsie.Saigon

* * *

Art Vietnam Gallery/

* * * Tudo Art

No. 2, Alley 66, Yen Lac, Hanoi http://www.artvietnamgallery.com/

* * *

Mekong Gallery Ltd

* * *

ArtArt Supplies 18/6C Nguyen Cuu Van, Ward 17,

97A Pho Đuc Chinh,

* * * Tara & Kys Art Gallery

Ho Chi Minh City & Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh City

Ward Nguyen Thai Bin,

101 Dong Khoi, Ben Nghe Ward,

http://sophiesarttour.com/

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

www.vietnamartist.com

http://www.tarakys.com/

* * *

https://shopee.vn/artartsupplies

Cty Oanh & Mads

PM Arts & Crafts Store

Ho Chi Minh City

152/11/8 Bình Long,

https://www.oanhmadsvn.com/

Phu Thanh, District Tan Phu,

Blue Space Art Gallery

Sophie’s Art Tour

District Bình Thanh,

* * *

* * * Galerie Quynh

* * * Huong Nga Fine Arts

118 Nguyen Van Thu,

76/2A Tay Hoa Street, Phuoc

Ward Da Kao, District 1,

Long Ward, District 9,

* * * GRADO Art Studio

Ho Chi Minh City

170 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao

http://galeriequynh.com/

http://www.huongngafinearts.vn/

Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

Any suggestions or

http://www.grado-artstudio.com/

comments, please email us.

* * *

atiqsaigon/

* * *

Ho Chi Minh City https://www.pmhandmade.com

* * *