Art In The Forest: A 10-year journey with Flamingo contemporary art

VOV.VN - 10 years ago, in the middle of the immense pine forest of Flamingo Dai Lai Resort, a unique art journey began called Art In The Forest (AIF).

AIF has quickly become a national cultural and artistic landmark, voted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as one of the Top 5 typical national art events in 2016, 2017 and 2019, with hundreds of sculptures and paintings present in an open space of 123 hectares.

Art In The Forest - Art in the pine forest

A small corner of Art In The Forest!

Art In The Forest (AIF) owns 62 large sculptures displayed outdoors along with 70 impressive small paintings and sculptures displayed in the landscape space of more than 123 hectares of Flamingo Dai Lai Resort. AIF has helped Vietnam's leading resort successfully set the record of "Resort with the largest lakeside art space in Vietnam" certified by the Vietnam Record Association and the Vietnam Record Organization in June 2017.

In 2019, the event “Art In The Forest (AIF)” - Art Space in the Forest (season 5), a visual art program for the community held annually since 2015. With the theme “International Lacquer Painting and Sculpture”, the event had the participation of 10 painters, 7 sculptors from the country and the world , with each work being an idea, diverse contemporary style, creating a contemporary art museum, a unique outdoor sculpture park.

The above impressive milestones are a testament to Flamingo's dedication and constant efforts to realize the goal of contributing valuable life and artistic values ​​to the community, becoming a place to preserve and develop unique works of art that are not found anywhere else in the world.

Japanese artist Katsumi Mukai's work, “Sounds of the Earth,” is part of the collection at Art In The Forest.

The first Museum of Contemporary Art in Vietnam was born

Following the success of Art In The Forest, Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum (FCAM) ​​was born. FCAM officially launched to the public in 2020 and is recognized as the first contemporary art museum in Vietnam, with international sculpture, painting, and contemporary art camps held regularly every year along with other art activities.

The difference between AIF and FCAM lies not only in the context (wider, greener, works closer to the audience) but also in the open attitude and artistic thinking of investors and artists.

The stone and metal blocks weighing tens of tons traveled thousands of kilometers to the exhibition, and after many months became the pinnacle of installation works among the lush green carpets of the resort. The artist ate, slept, and contemplated the work in the vast space of Dai Lai pine forest, without being burdened with the responsibility of "commissioned works" but was able to express his true spirit of dedication and aesthetic ego.

AIF has 62 large sculptures installed outdoors, with a variety of sizes, some up to 20 meters high, or weighing more than 27 tons, and a variety of materials such as metal, stone, wood... or even air and water in harmony with the landscape, creating a large "natural gallery", along with more than 70 paintings, installations, and small sculptures, opening up a rich and diverse art space, where viewers can immerse themselves in many layers of emotions.

Oversized works in AIF's outdoor art space

What is special is that there are not only works by domestic artists but also by artists from more than 10 countries in the region and around the world: Korea, Japan, USA, Nepal, Italy, Spain, Singapore...

If for the audience, Art In The Forest is a place to enjoy art, then for the artists, this is where they share their thoughts and contemplate life, which are materialized through the works they have painstakingly created. This is also a regular meeting place for like-minded people, friends from many countries, to work together, create together and share creative ideas.

Besides famous names such as painter Ly Truc Son, sculptor Le Lang Luong, Dam Dang Lai from Vietnam, Japanese sculptor Mukai Katsumi, sculptor Ariel Moscovici from France, etc., Flamingo Museum of Contemporary Art is also a meeting place for many young artists. They are given priority to freely create, bring new things and express their desires, emotions and dreams.

Art In The Forest 10+N: Infusing art into every touchpoint

2025 marks the 10-year journey of AIF and FCAM, a decade of spreading contemporary art in a green, sustainable space. The series of activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary includes: 10th anniversary celebration, exhibition of 8 new sculptures, museum tour, book “10 years of AIF”. In particular, from October 29, 2025 to April 29, 2026, Flamingo offers free entrance tickets for all students from kindergarten to high school, aiming to improve aesthetic education and the ability to enjoy art for young people in Vietnam - The series of activities not only pay tribute to the artists, but also affirm the vision of an international cultural and art education destination.

Artist Le Anh Vu is completing the largest ceramic sculpture and also the first ceramic work at AIF.

Part of artist Hoang Mai Thiep's giant metal installation will appear at the AIF's 10th anniversary celebration.

Artist Le Thi Hien is small when standing in front of her massive work.

Over the past decade, Flamingo has continued to invest in a series of resort projects in Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Thai Nguyen, Ninh Binh, and Tuyen Quang. All of them maintain the philosophy of green architecture, of which Art In the Forest is one of the solid pillars, shaping the investor's aesthetic statement.

In the future, Flamingo resorts will all have Art In The Forest. All have the same goal: Bringing contemporary art out of the pure exhibition space to get closer to the public than ever before. The works at AIF are placed in an open landscape, encouraging viewers to perceive with many senses, listen to the story behind the work, thereby forming the habit of approaching art in a natural, friendly way. Each trip becomes a cultural journey, where visitors let art and beauty touch all their emotions.

And for many years to come, paintings and sculptures will continue to be created and respectfully arranged in these lands, so that every time they step into an "art forest", viewers will be enriched in their souls and have more complete perceptions of life.

Source: https://vov.vn/kinh-te/bat-dong-san/art-in-the-forest-hanh-trinh-10-nam-phieu-du-voi-nghe-thuat-duong-dai-flamingo-post1239593.vov