Art Lovers
to Marrakech and Vietnam
Inspiring
Authentic
Discoveries
for small groups
6-8 people.
1-54 is the leading African contemporary art fair devoted to cutting edge works from the continent and its diaspora. Taking place in early February, it’s a great time of year to take in both the art and sunshine.
The itinerary includes linking up with the VIP program of the fair plus visits to various artist studios and cultural highlights not to be missed, in addition to private events hosted by those who shape the Moroccan cultural landscape. We will also take full advantage of the exceptional culinary scene in Marrakech, and the amazing in-house chef at Dar Kawa.
From Ho Chi Minh City to Hoi An and Hanoi, it’s exuberant culture, cuisine, and captivation through a local lens.
For art enthusiasts and aficionados, the contemporary art scene is the ideal place to start exploring Vietnam. For the last twenty years, renowned and emerging talent have put Vietnamese art on the map, with artists represented widely, from Documenta, to the Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, and beyond. VietnaMoi eyes unique opportunities to visit influential galleries, art spaces, leading artists’ studios and private collections.
VIETNAMOI is the collaborative enterprise between Céline Alexandre Pissoort and Trong Gia Nguyen. Hailing from Brussels and New York, respectively, the two have a collective 30+ years experience working in the cultural, PR, and lifestyle industries, with diverse and esteemed clientele including: Fashion labels Lacoste and Be&D; Lifestyle brands Lebon and Valerie Barkowski; Publications Brussels Mag, Harper’s Bazaar, and Art21; Non-profits Mekong Quilts, Residency Unlimited, CUE Foundation, and NXTHVN; and established art spaces like The Factory Contemporary Art Center (Vietnam), Thalie Foundation, Galila’s P.O.C., and many others.
CÉLINE ALEXANDRE PISSOORT
is a native of Belgium and holds an MFA in Art History from ULB – Brussels. In addition to VietnaMoi, she also works closely with the international lifestyle brand Valerie Barkowski and Galila’s P.O.C., a major private collection in Belgium. Previously she worked for 10 years as Event Manager at Top Secret Communication, a PR agency that specialized in lifestyle and luxury brands in Brussels. Always seeking to discover new experiences, Céline left Belgium in 2009 to settle in Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh City, she worked as director for one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary art spaces – Galerie Quynh. In 2019 she returned to Brussels, where she worked for 3 years as Director at the H&S Foundation, a private collection of Vietnamese paintings. Céline’s complementary background also includes having worked as a television host and presenter for RTBF, performing on stage in a number of theater productions in Europe, teaching drama at the Marguerite Duras School in Ho Chi Minh City, serving as a juror for the French Institute’s artist-in-residence program in Vietnam, working with various NGOs and even a travel agency.
TRONG GIA NGUYEN
is a multidisciplinary creative who spent 15 years in New York and another 4 in Vietnam prior to settling in Brussels. As an artist, he has exhibited at the international level extensively, with works in public and private collections. In New York circa the 2000’s, he found and directed an art gallery (New General Catalog) and small PR company (Art Hijack). As a curator, he has organized over 25 exhibitions, including the first show in 2016 at The Factory, Vietnam’s first contemporary art center. Trong’s experience also includes working with museums, private art dealers, renowned gallerists, and arts initiatives like Residency Unlimited, Artist Pension Trust and CUE Foundation. He previously served on the advisory boards of Fashion in Film Festival, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and Florence Artist in Residence (FAiR). He has edited and written numerous articles as art critic and blogger for publications that include Artslant, Art21, Brussels Mag, Harper’s Bazaar, CoboSocial, and others. He worked for a period as Wangechi Mutu’s studio manager, and currently manages the Dar Kawa Artists in Residence program (Marrakech, Morocco).
