artLIVE – NordArt Exhibition 2025 will take place from June 6 to October 5 at Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Germany. NordArt is one of the largest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibitions in Europe, held annually since 1999 in Germany.
The exhibition gathers over 200 artists from around the world, showcasing works that are thought-provoking, diverse in style, and rich in intercultural dialogue. Among them, Vietnamese Artist Nguyen The Hung is one of the selected participants at NordArt 2025. His presence marks a significant milestone in his artistic journey and represents a new step forward for Vietnamese art on the global stage of artistic exchange.
NordArt – A Convergence of Global Visual Narratives
Established in 1999, NordArt welcomes hundreds of artists from over 50 countries each year. Every exhibition season sees approximately 3,000 applications submitted, but only around 200 artists are selected to exhibit—highlighting the intense competition and high prestige of the event within the art world.
The exhibition takes place from June to October at Carlshütte in Büdelsdorf, Germany, a former iron foundry transformed into a vast art space. It offers 22,000 m² of indoor exhibition area and 80,000 m² of outdoor sculpture park. NordArt features a wide range of artistic expressions, including performances, installations, video art, painting, sculpture, and multimedia works. It serves as a cultural dialogue platform, where artists engage with themes of society, globalization, identity, memory, and the future of humanity.
Highlights of NordArt 2025
Every year, NordArt undergoes a complete curatorial renewal, bringing forth a fresh vision and themes that resonate with the spirit of the times. In 2025, the exhibition continues to assert its global stature through a series of remarkable artistic projects.
Focus Project: Japanese Art “DO / d a t _ code”
In the spotlight project “DO / d a t _ code” at NordArt 2025, the concept of “Dō” (道) serves as a philosophical lens and sensory approach that runs throughout the entire exhibition. Interpreted in Japanese as “Dō,” the term appears in various traditional art forms such as the Way of Tea (Chadō), the Way of the Sword (Kendō), and the Way of Calligraphy (Shodō). It represents a way of life rooted in harmony, restraint, and a deep understanding of nature and the self from within.
The project’s curators, Ralph Tepel and Rainer Junghanns, explain:
“We are guided by the Japanese spirit, which is also well understood in Korea and China. ‘Do’ (道) is the key to understanding Japanese culture—an open door, an initial insight.”
The exhibition presents works by 39 artists, including explorations of the Japanese tea ceremony (Chado) through the short film Silent Harmony; interpretations of individual life journeys (Maho Maeda); the dissolution of pathways in spatial and temporal collages (Jeauk Kang); the long voyage of a fishing boat (Rainer Junghanns); the ways of nature (Setsuko Fukushima); the future orbit of a vanished star (Jiwon Park); and the pilgrimage routes of Japan (Musui Dono). This project is a collaboration between the German-Japanese Museum Schloss Mitsuko and Raum_fuer_Raum Düsseldorf.
Contemporary Art from China
At NordArt 2025, Chinese contemporary art will leave a strong impression on audiences through large-scale works showcasing refined craftsmanship and sharp social critique. From symbolic installations and sculptures to evocative images exploring fear, longing, and skepticism in a globalized world, Chinese art at NordArt does not shy away from reality, it directly confronts it.
Notable works include:
- Walking Man – a 6-meter-tall bronze sculpture by Su Xinping in the sculpture park serves as a metaphor for the hectic pace of Chinese society.
- Tower of Sound and Contemplative Thinking by Yin Xiuzhen, displayed in the Carlshütte main hall, creating a space resonating between silence and contemplation.
Special Project: “DIRECTIONS – POLAND”
The special project “DIRECTIONS – POLAND”, curated by Professor Jan Wiktor Sienkiewicz, offers a profound insight into contemporary Polish art during the era of European integration. The works on view at ACO Wagenremise are the result of decades of artistic journey—where Polish artists not only created, but also engaged in dialogue with history, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Poland’s accession to the European Union.
The artwork “Dubious is the World” by Wiesław Smętek, displayed in NordArt’s main exhibition hall, stands as a powerful testament to how art can serve as commentary on the fragility of peace, and the interplay of trust and doubt in the post-Cold War era. Through this project, viewers can perceive art not merely as personal expression, but as a collective memory—where past and future are both etched into every form and texture.
Contemporary Art from Mongolia
Since 2015, Mongolian contemporary art has become a standout feature at NordArt—and this year, under the curation of Oyuntuya Oyunjargal, the project delves deeper into the flow between nomadic heritage and modern visual language. With the theme “Tradition in Transition: The Return of the Ancestors”, three participating artists invite viewers into a space that is both sacred and experimental, where tradition is not confined, but expanded and transformed through painting, installation, and sculpture.
The centerpiece is a 17-meter-long painting by Zayasaikhan Sambuu, a spiritual journey bridging past and present. Accompanying this are masks, sculptures, and spatial arrangements evoking nomadic life, now reinterpreted through contemporary materials and forms. The project is supported by the Embassy of Mongolia, affirming that art can be the most enduring bridge between roots and the future.
Each year, the NordArt Prize is awarded to one artist for their outstanding contribution, accompanied by a grant of €10,000, funded by Johanna and Hans-Julius Ahlmann, the main patrons of Kunstwerk Carlshütte.
Vietnamese Artist at NordArt 2025 – Nguyễn Thế Hùng
This year, Artist Nguyen The Hung represents Vietnam at NordArt 2025, marking an important milestone in his artistic journey and opening the door for Vietnamese art to enter the space of global dialogue.
Born in 1981 in Tuyên Quang, Artist Nguyen The Hung is known for his style combining traditional materials (dó paper, lacquer) with modern visual thinking, infused with meditative spirit and emotional depth. He is a pioneer in applying lacquer techniques on canvas, and the creator of notable series such as Miền lạc du, Vùng nhiều mây, Xin hãy nhẹ tay – Thầm thì – Tôi ở đây, which have gained acclaim both domestically and internationally.
Not only recognized through solo and group exhibitions worldwide, Nguyen The Hung is also a prominent figure who won the UOB Painting of the Year Vietnam, highlighting the appreciation from both local and regional art communities.
At NordArt 2025, he presents the work “A Bright New Day 06” (2024)—a mixed media painting on canvas, measuring 250 x 500 cm. The piece is a rich metaphor for the growth of a tree, from a tiny seed to a strong trunk, with roots deep in the earth and branches reaching skyward… A quiet yet resilient journey, which Nguyen The Hung sees as a reflection of himself: each experience, each layer of paint, each transformation, are ways art grows within him.
“A tree begins as a small seed, grows through the years, burrows deep into the soil, and embraces sunlight, water, and wind. My painting is the same—it has grown with me, through life’s changes and experiences,” Nguyen The Hung shared.
In the international art arena that is NordArt, A Bright New Day 06 is not only large in scale—it is also a deep personal mark within the multidimensional current of global contemporary art—a quiet tale of growth that resonates beyond borders and connects deeply.
Source and photo: NordArt
