Overview

Nhasan Studio is a Muong ethnic minority house on stilts, transported from the mountains of Hoa Binh province to Hanoi and transformed into the first privately run non-profit arts space in Vietnam. Nhasan Studio is a venue for interdisciplinary and non-traditional experimentation for Vietnamese artists, and a nexus for international art exchange: hosting lectures, workshops, sound, installation, video, and performance art. The studio was founded in 1998 by artist/curator Tran Luong and antique restorer Nguyen Manh Duc.

Nhasan offers Vietnamese artists the chance to create, exhibit and respond to work. In a socio-political environment where experimental art can be a risky endeavor, Nhasan provides the crucial space needed for developing artistic practices, and sharing experiences - both invigorating and engendering an artistic community that is hungry for change. Nhasan provides Vietnamese artists with the opportunity to collaborate with international artists creating cultural exchange, and networks to develop, and learn from the world beyond the country’s borders.

Nhasan studio nurtured the first generation of Vietnamese avant-garde artists emergent in the early 1990’s, including Truong Tan, Tran Luong, Nguyen Van Cuong, Nguyen Minh Thanh, Nguyen Quang Huy, Ea Sola, and Kim Ngoc. Nhasan has since become a valuable resource for a younger generation to  continue developing their own cultural scene. These artists, who include Nguyen Manh Hung, Pham Ngoc Duong, Nguyen Huy An, Nguyen Phuong Linh, Lai Dieu Ha are working to create dynamic, and contemporary art.

Over the span of twelve years, Nhasan Studio has been generously supported by and partnered with many foundations, and institutions, including: The Asian Cultural Council,  Art Network Asia, The Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The United States Embassy, The Goethe Institute, The British Council, The Cultural Development and Exchange Fund of the Danish embassy, Institut für Auslandsneziehungen (IFA), Nippon International Performance Art Festival, Office for Contemporary Art (Norway), Norway Arts Council, Freedom of Expression Foundation Oslo, Royal Norwegian Embassy Hanoi, City of Oslo and The Dong Song Today Foundation.

overview by Gabby Miller.