Promoting the creativity of artists in the development of literature and art in the new period

On December 3, the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Literature and Arts Associations organized a scientific seminar on the topic: "Ho Chi Minh City artists promote creativity in implementing Conclusion No. 84-KL/TW dated June 21, 2024 of the Politburo to continue implementing Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW of the 10th Politburo on "continuing to build and develop literature and arts in the new period".

Many opinions at the workshop frankly pointed out gaps in creation, problems in the festival and contest organization mechanism, and the need to innovate cultural management thinking to create substantive changes.

Still "fumbling" in the topic of composition

At the workshop, Architect Nguyen Truong Luu - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Literature and Arts Associations raised many concerns about the current practice of creation and management in the field of literature and arts.

He cited the case of a short story collection 2024–2025, which is more than 300 pages long, in which “about 95% of the works revolve around personal stories in a specific region”, not reflecting the diverse life and social issues arising in large cities. According to him, many rich and thorny topics of modern life “seem to have not yet been boldly touched by writers”.

Regarding the summary of 50 years of Vietnamese literature and the young writers' conference recently organized by the Vietnam Writers' Association , Architect Nguyen Truong Luu said that the situation of "fumbling around in topics" continues.

He noted that in the papers submitted to this conference, there were articles that directly raised issues related to Conclusion 84-KL/TW, but there were also many articles that "still spoke generally, not really touching on the core of the discussion".

Regarding management work, Architect Nguyen Truong Luu emphasized that Resolution 23-NQ/TW previously pointed out two major limitations, including the fact that policies on literature and art "have not yet entered the lives of artists and management teams".

Conclusion 84-KL/TW of the Politburo continues to require solutions, especially promoting the socialization of theater, music , dance, and film festivals, etc., and handing over the organizing role to professional associations. However, according to him, many agencies are still hesitant about the current mechanism, leading to the possibility of slow implementation. "If this bottleneck is not removed, it will be very difficult to create real change," he said.

Referring to the opinion that writers are still hesitant and not really comfortable in their writing, Architect Nguyen Truong Luu said that this argument is no longer appropriate in the context of Vietnam opening up to receive, translate and publish many foreign works with diverse content.

“If we acknowledge the value of international works, there is no reason why Vietnamese writers cannot write similar stories in today's life,” he stated.

Promoting the creativity of artists in the development of literature and art in the new period - photo 2 — Mr. Tang Hoang Thuan - Head of the Theory and Criticism Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association pointed out the reality that there are artists who accumulate formal achievements to be considered for titles, while their real value of contribution is not verified.

Mr. Tang Hoang Thuan (Journalist - Director Thanh Hiep), Head of the Theory and Criticism Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association, pointed out the current situation that professional associations have not been allowed to participate in the organizing committee or develop regulations at many festivals and competitions. According to him, this "standing outside" has caused the creative level to be out of standard, creating loopholes for profiteering.

There are cases where plays are only staged for the judges, almost not for the public; after winning medals, they are stored away, no longer having any stage life. From there, some people easily accumulate formal achievements to be considered for titles, while their real contribution is not verified.

He believes that if professional associations are given the right to organize in accordance with the spirit of Conclusion 84-KL/TW, they can properly monitor and evaluate the creative process and dedication of artists, limit the pursuit of achievements and restore a healthier professional environment.

According to Architect Nguyen Duc Lap - Ho Chi Minh City Association of Architects, the expansion of Ho Chi Minh City's administrative boundaries after merging Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau has set new requirements for professional association activities. A wider scope means greater responsibility, while development between regions is uneven, and coordination and information sharing mechanisms still need to be improved.

According to him, architects are currently facing many challenges: market pressure reduces the quality of creativity; space and support policies are limited; young teams lack opportunities to compete internationally; theory and criticism have not kept up with the requirements of orientation. The participation of foreign consulting corporations is both an opportunity and creates great competitive pressure.

In that context, the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Architects needs to prioritize connecting forces after the merger, supporting young members, expanding creative spaces, increasing the application of technology and promoting the role of social criticism for planning and architectural projects. At the same time, there needs to be a policy of ordering creations, honoring valuable works and socializing resources for cultural and architectural projects.

Promoting the role of professional associations in connecting artists and the public

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association said that after nearly half a century since 1975, Ho Chi Minh City fine arts has developed strongly in terms of strength and number of works, but still lacks creations that create lasting impressions and harmoniously integrate with the urban space.

Promoting the creativity of artists in the development of literature and art in the new period - photo 3 — Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien emphasized a series of solutions to promote the creative capacity of Ho Chi Minh City's fine arts in the new period.

Many works following modern trends from impressionism, abstraction to minimalism only stop at formal expression, "showing off" the layout and materials, but have not yet conveyed the depth of thought or humanistic message.

In the field of sculpture, he pointed out the bias towards realism, propaganda, and event description rather than focusing on aesthetic value, so the works have not created emotional highlights in public spaces. The works from international and domestic creative camps also revealed superficiality, technical weakness, and lack of a stable aesthetic system.

Professor Tien acknowledged that the number of painters, sculptors or theorists in the City who have won major national awards in recent years is still very modest. According to him, this is a “warning signal”, requiring creators and critics to reflect on themselves to create a new momentum for the fine arts of a young, dynamic and creative city.

From the requirements, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien emphasized a series of solutions to promote the creative capacity of Ho Chi Minh City's fine arts in the new period. First of all, it is necessary to renew thinking and expand creative space through a democratic environment, respect creative freedom and encourage artists to approach contemporary issues.

At the same time, we are building a team that is solid in its profession, has vision and responsibility, and especially focuses on discovering and nurturing young talents.

He believes that policy innovation and support mechanisms are important driving forces, from finance, commissioning works to enhancing the role of critical theory in orienting and discovering new values. He also sees the application of digital technology, artificial intelligence and expanding international exchanges as key to promoting works and enhancing the city's fine arts status.

Promoting the creativity of artists in the development of literature and art in the new period - photo 4 — Poet Nguyen Hung shares at the Workshop

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien emphasized the key role of professional associations in connecting artists - the public - public spaces. According to him, the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association needs to proactively coordinate with departments and businesses to expand urban art spaces, bring works closer to life, and gradually move towards financial autonomy in the spirit of new resolutions and regulations.

The formation of a cooperation model between artists - businesses - management agencies in the form of PPP will help promote creativity associated with production, consumption and economic value of works.

“Developing Ho Chi Minh City's fine arts in the new era requires concerted efforts from the government, professional associations and each artist, to create a modern, integrated artistic life that still retains its own identity,” Professor Tien emphasized.

According to Mr. Le Nguyen Hieu - Ho Chi Minh City Dance Artists Association, the 7 key tasks of Conclusion 84-KL/TW all aim to make literature and art truly become "a particularly important and sophisticated field of culture".

In particular, the task directly related to the Union and the City's literary and artistic associations is to transfer the organization of festivals, performances, competitions, etc. from state management agencies to specialized associations with sufficient capacity to undertake.

According to him, this is the Party's new viewpoint on "cultural management thinking" and "cultural doing thinking", which needs to be fully understood: management is the function of state agencies, while creativity and organization of professional activities belong to associations and cultural activity subjects.

Promoting the creativity of artists in the development of literature and art in the new period - photo 5 — Delegates take souvenir photos at the Conference

Mr. Le Nguyen Hieu added that Conclusion 84-KL/TW also emphasized many important open directions such as developing cultural industry, arousing the desire to contribute of artists, promoting research - critical theory, linking literature and art with tourism - services and promoting the image of Vietnam to the world.

In the context of entering the digital age, he emphasized the need for artists to proactively approach new technology scientifically and selectively to improve creative quality.

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