Saigon hosts first ever exhibition of nudes on stones

Titled "Hon Da" (The Soul of Stone), the October 19-26 exhibition will display 102 photographs taken by Thai Phien over the last 30 years. This is the first time Phien’s work on stone is being displayed.

The artworks depicting feminine beauty include "Trai Cam" (Forbidden Fruit), "Huyen Thoai Venus" (Legend of Venus), "Thien Su" (Angel), "Trang Non" (New Moon), "Buoc Thoi Gian" (Step of Time), "Phieu Bong" (Adventure), and "Song Do" (Red Wave).

The photo "Tu Do" (Freedom) printed on stone. Photo courtesy of Thai Phien.

Some of the stones will feature his latest works being shown in public for the first time, like "Tinh Khoi" (Purity), "Tu Do" (Freedom) and "Bien Goi" (The Call of The Sea).

To prepare for this exhibition, Thai Phien and his team traveled to different parts of Vietnam to get the appropriate stones. They collected several from streams in the central highlands province of Lam Dong and central province of Phu Yen as well as other destinations. The team then chose which photo would go on which stone based on the color and shape of each stone.

So far, around 300 photographs taken by Phien have been exhibited in more than 60 countries and territories.

The exhibition will open tomorrow at the Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Association, 218A Pasteur, District 3, HCMC. Entrance is free and open to the public.