The opening ceremony saw the presence of artist David Thomas and five members of the Boston Printmakers, namely Susan Denniston, Margo Lemieux, Colleen MacDonald, Marilyn Mase and Carolyn Musket.
The 70 works on displays in the exhibition are divided into two separate spaces.
The first space is a display themed ‘Finding Parkinson’, featuring 33 artworks by artist David Thomas.
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| David Thomas with one of his paintings on display at the exhibition |
The works use various techniques such as self-portraits and MRI scans of his brain, digital printing, and lithography. This set of photos has been exhibited twice in the US.
David Thomas was born in 1946 in Portland, Maine, the US. He joined the US Army in the war in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 for a combat technical assistance mission, which included the use of Agent Orange, in the Central Highlands region.
He returned to the US in 1970 to continue art and created artworks of the Vietnamese people.
He returned to Vietnam in 1987, and the trip motivated him to establish the Indochina Arts Partnership – a foundation that has helped to develop cultural exchange between Vietnam and the US over the past three decades.
‘Finding Parkinson's’ is the story of my own battle against a neurodegenerative disorder.
Artist - war veteran David Thomas
He became the first foreigner to be honoured with the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Culture in 1999. In 2010, he was awarded the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Fine Arts by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association.
In 2015, David Thomas was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which was determined to be related to exposure to Agent Orange.
On December 14, 2020, he saw his brain for the first time after having a brain MRI. These scans inspired him to create visual images of his gruelling battle with his brain disease.
“‘Finding Parkinson's’ is the story of my own battle against a neurodegenerative disorder,” said artist David Thomas, adding that through his artworks, he wants to provide viewers with a look into his world and the battle against his own brain.
The second space displays 38 artworks by 37 members of the Boston Printmakers, under the theme ‘Peace, Love, and Understanding’.
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| Marilyn Mase and Colleen MacDonald, two artists from Boston in the US, prepare prints for the exhibition (Photo: VNA) |
The collection aims to promote solidarity and mutual understanding between Vietnamese and US artists.
Founded in 1947, the mission of the Boston Printmakers is to promote public knowledge through graphic paintings and encourage the development of the graphic art.
The artists will donate this collection to the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum after the exhibition closes on April 21.
The exhibition aims to strengthen friendship and international cooperation by providing opportunities for local artists to exchange and learn experience from foreign peers, especially in the making of graphic paintings on the pain of war and the persistent consequences that Agent Orange has caused to humans.
