Exhibition highlights Vietnam through the brushstrokes of 27 Chilean artists
WVR - On the afternoon of April 16, within the premises of the Vietnamese Embassy in Santiago, 27 paintings by 27 Chilean artists depicting Vietnam were exhibited, marking the conclusion of a seven-month-long competition – the "Chile-Vietnam: 55 Years of Diplomatic Relations" painting contest initiated by the Embassy since September 2025.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Viet Cuong speaks at the award ceremony. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile) |
This is one of the prominent artistic activities in the year commemorating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (March 25, 1971 - March 25, 2026).
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong reiterated the question posed when the Embassy launched the competition: How do Chilean artists perceive Vietnam?
According to the Ambassador, the Chilean perspective on Vietnam sometimes helps us recognize aspects that Vietnamese people might easily overlook. Each of the twenty-seven paintings offers a unique viewpoint, a distinct answer.
Many artists were drawn to Vietnam's nature – forests, lotus, sea, rice. These are often the starting points for cultural exchanges, beginning with what humans share before borders exist.
The First and Second Prizes were awarded to artist Leandro Araneda Muñoz for the work "Reverdecer" (meaning to turn green again, to revive in Spanish) and artist Daniel Ponce with "Bosques del encuentro" (Forests of the Encounter) – a title evoking tranquil spaces where people truly see each other.
The Third Prize, named after renowned Chilean painter Gracia Barrios and established by the Association of Painters and Sculptors of Chile (APECH), was awarded to artist Mauricio Díaz Castro for "1, 2, 3 Vietnam". The jury also announced three honourable mentions for artists Constanza Iturriaga Castro with "Vías de subsistencia" (Paths of Livelihood), Paula Fuentes Avendaño with "Escritos con agua y Viento" (Written with Water and Wind), and Sebastián Hermosilla with "55 Años en la mesa" (55 Years at the Table).
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| Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong and his spouse pose with Chilean artists. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile) |
In addition to the six main prizes, Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong presented Letters of Appreciation to each participating artist and jury member. The Ambassador emphasized that the competition was a collective effort of all those who looked towards Vietnam, not just the winners. The jury consisted of five members: Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong; Ms. Patricia Abarzúa Muñoz, President of the Chile-Vietnam Cultural and Friendship Institute (APECH); Mr. Alex Chellew Murillo, President of APECH; artist Concepción Balmes Barrios, and Ms. Virginia Cordero Morales, a member of APECH's Board of Directors.
Sharing at the ceremony, Ms. Patricia Abarzúa Muñoz took the audience back to the story 55 years ago. From the first meeting in 1962 between Vietnamese workers and Chilean trade unions, to March 25, 1971, when President Salvador Allende and Foreign Minister Clodomiro Almeyda signed the document establishing diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and through the upheavals of history, many generations of Chileans have maintained their emotional ties with Vietnam. Ms. Muñoz affirmed that today's actions continue the spirit of friendship built from the time of President Ho Chi Minh and President Allende.
Also attending the ceremony were representatives from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, authorities from several districts of Santiago, the Cuban Embassy in Chile, and representatives from the local cultural, artistic, research, and press sectors.
The competition took place on the foundation that both countries have built over many years: the Comprehensive Partnership Framework since 2007, the Free Trade Agreement since 2011 – Vietnam's first agreement with a Latin American country. As political and economic relations have deepened, cultural diplomacy activities have gained more space to play their unique role, bringing the image of Vietnam to the Chilean public through the language of art.
The two paintings "Reverdecer" and "Bosques del encuentro" will remain at the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile. Ten, twenty years from now, visitors to the Embassy will still stand before these two paintings and know that in 2026, Chilean artists paused, looked towards Vietnam, and painted.
(Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Chile)
