Suspending Dien Bien Phu painting exhibition because of controversial work

The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has just requested the suspension of a painting exhibition with the theme of Dien Bien Phu. The exhibition, organized by painter Mai Duy Minh, is expected to open on the afternoon of May 7 at Vietnam University of Fine Arts (No. 42 Yet Kieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi).

At that time, many people present at the exhibition suddenly received information that the event had to be postponed.

As the approval and licensing agency for this exhibition to open, however, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has requested the exhibition organizers to stop opening after receiving the document from the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

The content of the document of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition does not specify any errors in the works in the exhibition, only asking the exhibition approval unit, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, to review. .

Painter Mai Duy Minh had a meeting with representatives of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, representatives of Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition and Vietnam University of Fine Arts on this issue. After the meeting, the management agency agreed to postpone the exhibition because there was information that some paintings were easily misleading. The Department will establish an appraisal and review committee.

After the incident, the main painting of the exhibition went viral on social media, attracting the attention of the online community. The central figure of the photo is a thin soldier, standing on the ruins of the battlefield, holding a torn flag.

The image of a Dien Bien soldier in the moment of victory depicted by painter Mai Duy Minh does not have a muscular body, fresh military posture and neat clothes like familiar works of art before. Many people think that this painting is the reason why the exhibition has to be paused.