Olympians' journey to connect with ancestor through art

Last week, students of the Olympia Global Fellowship Program continued their journey back in history to connect with their ancestor. In their previous trip, they witnessed images of Hanoi from over 100 years ago. This time, they went back to the year 2003 and gained a deeper understanding of contemporary art at that time.

Olympians had the opportunity to visit the open archive of art exhibition "Green, Red & Yellow" from 2003. The organizers have recreated some activities from the 2003 exhibition while sharing interesting stories surrounding the process. At the APD Center for Art Patronage and Development, Olympians relived a part of the past and immersed themselves in the contemporary art of 20 years ago. Not only that, they also had the opportunity to interact with artist Tran Luong – Director of APD to discuss about the development of culture and art in life.

Students and teachers of The Olympia Schools visited the APD Center for Art Patronage and Development

In 2003, the art exhibition "Green, Red & Yellow" was inspired by traffic light symbol - a convention of public transportation during the rapid urbanization period in 2003 - to express the meaning of green (go), red (stop), and yellow (undetermined) in the social context. In 2023, visiting the exhibition archive after 20 years helped Olympians better understand the social context of Vietnam in the past through contemporary artworks. This was an opportunity to establish a connection between the younger generation – those who are living in the modern era - with the older generation, their grandparents and parents – people who lived in Vietnam after renovation period in 2003.

Olympians discussed and admired the display at the exhibition

At the exhibition, Olympians watched old footage of the previous exhibition, participated in interactive painting activities that were simulated similarly to those in 2003, and more. These activities allowed Olympians to realize the correlation between contemporary art and the development of society, while discovering the evolution and changes in art during different periods to further connect with their roots.

Olympians experienced interactive painting activities during the event

The role of culture in society was demonstrated through artist Tran Luong's insights when he emphasized that culture is an essential element in human life and the development of a nation. Therefore, the participation of the younger generation in learning, preserving and evolving culture is extremely important. These are the directions in which Olympians are being guided in their experiential programs. During the visit, Olympians Ngo Bao Anh (G8) and Nguyen Nhu Xuan (G11) also expressed their concerns about the relationship between contemporary art and society.

Artist Tran Luong shared his knowledge during the event

The journey to explore the roots of Olympians will continue in the upcoming time with various different themes. Let's look forward to the next trip of Olympia Global Fellowship Program!