Art Business News (Maryland Heights, MO: January, 2006)
full article at Art Business News
[excerpt]...In 2001, artist Duc Nguyen opened Lac Viet Gallery, the first Vietnamese gallery in the Washington, DC area (Arlington, VA). In it he carried work by contemporary Vietnamese artists and Chinese painter Jia Lu. Sales started off well, but a recent move to a better location with more space (5,000 square feet), saw an increase in sales, according to Ly Nguyen.
She attributes this rise in sales to more than just a change in location and space, and cites a growing awareness of Southeast Asia with more Americans vacationing there. Subsequently, Americans are becoming more interested in Vietnam and its culture.
"I think it's almost acceptable for people to embrace us now 30 years after the war," says Nguyen. "It's like a celebration, and it has changed the way people feel about Vietnam. As a result people are very receptive toward Vietnamese cultures and interests, particularly art, almost like a curiosity."
She believes that some people have found Chinese art too accessible, even too "pop." On the other hand, Vietnamese work is relatively new and undiscovered. Plus, it's very affordable. Nguyen says that customers look at it and think, "Why buy a print when you can buy an original?"
Still the gallery's best-selling artist is Jia Lu, who is Chinese and has a huge following. "Her subject, although always an Asian woman, can appeal to all people," she says. "Some [of the women] look very traditional Chinese and others are very Western looking."