Cover Tang Bao Quyen has created a space for fellow artists to step into the light: Chillala – House of Art, nestled in the heart of Thao Dien, is her offering
Tang Bao Quyen has created a space for fellow artists to step into the light: Chillala – House of Art, nestled in the heart of Thao Dien, is her offering
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Tang Bao Quyen was once a familiar face on Vietnamese television in the early 2000s. Though she stepped away from the spotlight, her creative journey never truly paused. She has chosen to shape a stage for others. Chillala – House of Art marks the beginning of this new chapter.
Some choices arise not from the search for novelty, but from the desire to evolve. Quyen, once a leading figure on the Vietnamese screen with Hai Gia Dinh, Chuyen Tinh Xa Xu, Giao Lo Dinh Menh and more, lived fully in the public eye. When she stepped away, she did not abandon the arts. She simply redefined how it would accompany her life.
After years immersed in interior and exterior design and creative traditions, Quyen founded Chillala, a deeply personal art space. Here, she not only curates exhibitions, but also nurtures emerging voices and gives them space to be heard.
Read more: Cao Hoang Long: an ‘illogical’ approach to bringing Vietnamese art to the world
Above Tang Bao Quyen – a life dedicated to art
Tang Bao Quyen – a life dedicated to art
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From screen to creative space
Over the decade she spent away from acting, Tang Bao Quyen remained deeply connected to the art world. She turned her focus to interior design, culinary arts and creative media, fields where aesthetic sensibility is still the guiding force. Alongside her work, her passion for art quietly flourished: she collected paintings, visited exhibitions, engaged with young artists and observed the evolution of contemporary Vietnamese art from within.
Above Over the decade she spent away from acting, Tang Bao Quyen remained deeply connected to the art world
Over the decade she spent away from acting, Tang Bao Quyen remained deeply connected to the art world
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Before long, that enduring love found tangible expression in Chillala – House of Art, the independent creative space she founded at 75 Xuan Thuy, Thao Dien. Though it can host up to 350 guests, it is affectionately known as a “home”, a place where all the senses are gently awakened.
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A ‘home of borderless art’
Chillala is neither a conventional gallery nor merely an event venue. It is an intersection between artist and audience, instinct and image, aesthetic experience and lived experience.
Guided by the spirit of “Art Without Borders”, Chillala embraces diversity with intention. A young, unexhibited artist might be placed alongside an established name, so long as they bring a story worth telling. As both curator and organiser, Quyen doesn’t just design the space: she shapes the cadence, emotion and subtext of each exhibition.
She avoids placing herself at the centre, yet her presence is everywhere from reviewing artist statements and discussing narrative arcs to devising how each message is best conveyed.
Above She avoids placing herself at the centre, yet her presence is everywhere
She avoids placing herself at the centre, yet her presence is everywhere
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I was once an actress. I stood under the spotlight and know what it means to long to be seen, to be understood. Now, I want to create light — so that others may step forward and shine in their own way.
Above Tang Bao Quyen and Chillala together form more than a tale of artistic entrepreneurship
Tang Bao Quyen and Chillala together form more than a tale of artistic entrepreneurship
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It is this quiet persistence that lends her presence a rare distinction, a woman of elegant depth, independent thought, and enduring compassion for art.
Tang Bao Quyen and Chillala together form more than a tale of artistic entrepreneurship. They represent a journey from the glare of public life to a gentler inner light; from performing roles onscreen to opening doors for others. And that journey continues: soft, steady, resilient, where art is cultivated through care, vision, and a generous spirit.
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