To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam and national reunification, the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (Japan), in collaboration with the MITANI Cultural Heritage and Art Preservation Foundation, the Nishinippon Shimbun, and other partners, is organizing a special exhibition titled “Vietnam – Landscapes of Memory” from September 13 to November 9, 2025, in Fukuoka, Japan.
According to the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, the exhibition will later be showcased at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum of Art from November 22, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The exhibition features more than 110 works of fine art and graphic design, most from the collection of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. These works trace 100 years of Vietnam’s turbulent history – from the struggle for independence to the nation’s reconstruction, reform (Đổi Mới), development, and international integration.
Art that chronicles a nation’s memory
Exhibited works from Section 1: “Ideals – The homeland in every brushstroke” at the exhibition. (Photo: Embassy of Japan in Vietnam).
Artworks by the late painter Nguyen Phan Chanh (1892-1984) on display in the special section of the exhibition, part of the Nguyen Phan Chanh Restoration Project. (Photo: Embassy of Japan in Vietnam).
The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections that guide visitors through various eras. It begins with patriotic depictions by artists from the Indochina College of Fine Arts, followed by refined landscape paintings, then progresses to propaganda posters reflecting revolutionary fervor, and finally to modern reflections, shaped by memory and individual identity in contemporary times.
A special highlight is the presentation of the Nguyen Phan Chanh Painting Restoration Project, led by the MITANI Foundation since 2007. To date, 16 artworks by the late artist Nguyen Phan Chanh have been successfully restored and are now preserved under strict conservation conditions in Japan. These works have become an important cultural bridge between Vietnam and Japan.
A cultural bridge of art and friendship
As part of the exhibition, a variety of cultural and artistic exchange events will take place. These include an international Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, a screening of the acclaimed Vietnamese film When the Tenth Month Comes, artist talks with Vietnamese creators, and a series of unique art performances.
The exhibition provides the Japanese public with an opportunity to better understand Vietnamese history, culture, and people, while also contributing to the strengthening and enrichment of the Vietnam-Japan friendship amid growing bilateral relations.
PV
AloJapan.com