Why has the form and spirit of “work” and “artist” changed? Why has Experimental Art become increasingly widespread and deeply involved in life?

“Green Red & Yellow” with the participation of 16 artists, held at the Goethe Institute Hanoi, was the largest contemporary art exhibition in Vietnam until 2003, the time of the event. The exhibition marks a turning point in the development of domestic art, presenting experimental works that are diverse and groundbreaking in form, updated with the changes and impacts of socio-psychological life, thereby repositioning perspectives towards art and the role of artists, as well as suggesting new creative paths.

Within the framework of the “Green Red & Yellow” Open Archive, this talk takes the exhibition as a milestone for reference and reflection on the movement and development of Vietnamese contemporary art. How have the basic objects of visual art changed in structure and nature? And what changes have occurred in the material, intangible and social value of works of art over the past 30 years?

The event includes the participation of Franz-Xaver Augustin, former director of the Goethe-Institut in the period 2002 – 2007, who played an important role not only as a representative of the Goethe-Institut – the exhibition’s supporter, but also one who has been closely accompanying Vietnamese contemporary art for a long time, actively supporting and promoting new dialogues and practices; together with Trần Lương, the initiator, organizer, and curator of “Green Red & Yellow”.

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The “Green Red & Yellow” Open Archive was held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the event (2003 – 2023), including documents and information collected from Trần Lương’s archive. This is a part of Open Archive within the APD Art Library Project, implemented from 2022 with the aim to promote research and the development of art education. The archive includes documents collected, restored and archived in-depth and systematically in order to provide information about Vietnamese contemporary art to professionals and the public.