Published:  00:00 Wednesday - July 22, 2009

A group of five Vietnamese painters left Ho Chi Minh City on July 21 for Penang, Malaysia to take part in an international art exhibition from July 23-27.

The painters, who will showcase their artworks with another 95 artists, are Nguyen Thi Tam, Dang Thi Duong Cao Thi Duoc, Uyen Huy and Nguyen Nhu Khoi.

On the theme “Art, Life and Vision”, the event features a myriad of artistic expressions through various mediums including visual art, performing art, music and others.

The exhibit will display a variety of media and styles. Huy (also known as Huy Van Muoi), who is head of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, will feature a mixed-media-painting “Duong Nhu La Gao” (It May Be Rice).

He said the painting makes a statement about people who live in poverty.

As a lecturer and head of the Ho Chi Minh City College of Fine Arts, Huy is known for hid semi-abstract pieces in oil or mixed media on canvas.

Tam, a former lecturer at the school will show her paintings on silk that reveal a bold, lush style in museums and art collections around the world.

It is the first international art festival in Peang commemorating the first anniversary of the listing of George Town in Penang as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.