Hanoi (VNA) – A series of works inspired by the image of fairies riding dragons, a popular image on the carvings of communal houses in Vietnamese villages, are on display at the Cultural and Art Center at 22 Hàng Buôm Street, Hanoi . The exhibition was enthusiastically received by experts and visitors.
“Fairy Dream”, “Fairy Garden”, “Fairy Kite” and “Fairy Dragon”, four artistic spaces converge within the framework of the “Fairy and Dragon” exhibition.
Once the doors of the Cultural and Artistic Center at 22 Hàng Buôm Street are open, visitors can wander into a magical world. Two kites in the form of fairies by the artist Quan Hang Cao, with their colored ribbons fly under the ceiling of the building. Before being included in the 22 Hàng Buôm exhibition, these kites have already appeared in the skies of several foreign countries.
The main work of the exhibition is that of the young artist Truong Hoàng Hai, named “From 100 to 100 million”. It consists of 100 lacquered eggs in a square frame covered with straw and grains of rice. The artist is inspired by the Vietnamese legend “The children of the dragon and the fairy” relating the story of Vietnamese born from 100 eggs.
The exhibition mobilizes a total of forty artists who had only two months to finalize their works. The image of fairies is rooted in Vietnamese culture. It is one of the most popular themes in the arts of yesteryear in the Red River Delta region. To prepare this exhibition, the artists went to several town halls in the North and studied the image of fairies from several angles: symbolic, cultural and historical… Then, they developed their ideas in their works, by materializing the image popular of the fairy under different points of view.
The works presented are the result of the hard work of artists, especially young people, who are increasingly turning to the traditional cultural heritage of the country. The exhibition also aims to be a bridge between the different generations of artists who are complementary in this kind of interdisciplinary project. “Through the project, I want to orient young artists towards traditional values and images in Vietnamese culture and fine arts,” said artist Nguyên Thê Son, curator of the exhibition.
“Tu Thuc rencontre la Fée” de Phan Cam Thuong. Photo: VTVDialogue between tradition and modernity
The traditional materials of Vietnamese fine arts such as silk, lacquer or papier do (rhamnoneuron paper) are still honored in this exhibition. On the other hand, the creations fit particularly well into the space of the Cultural and Artistic Center at 22 Hàng Buôm Street, formerly the headquarters of the Guangdong congregation.
“My ceramic work is called La Fée. The ceramic itself is a historical material of Vietnamese culture but remains quite modern all the same. My work is divided into 6 fragments, representing the 6 main periods of the Vietnamese feudal regime.
It is glazed with jade and green color,” explained artist Lê Van Dai. He continued, “My creation responds to the ceramic paintings of the former Guangdong Congregational Headquarters. When Guangdong people arrived there, they built this headquarters and decorated it with green-colored glazed ceramic paintings. We, as artists, create works in the same spirit as Guangdong ceramic works to justify that Vietnamese works of art are as fine as Chinese ones.”
The “Fairy and Dragon” exhibition is part of the recent Festival of Design and Creativity 2022 organized by the Department of Culture and Sports of Hanoi in collaboration with the magazine “Architecture” (under the Association Vietnamese architects). The event aims to promote the creative and cultural resources of the capital.
In response to the common theme of the festival “Design and Technology”, a space has been reserved especially for the Game 3D Air Skylen at 22 rue Hàng Buôm. In addition to a very immersive video game, the space also attracts visitors with a gigantic map of the city of Hanoi. Through this work, the artists Quang Lâm, Nguyên Thê Son and their collaborators express their wish to see the city of Hanoi greener, where urbanization goes hand in hand with nature and the environment.
“This exhibition is varied in terms of materials used with lacquer, silk, paper do… But also with different artistic genres such as photography, music, live performances, games… I want the exhibition to offer multidimensional experiences in a heritage space like the headquarters at 22 Hàng Buôm Street,” said Nguyên Thê Son.
The exhibition lasts until traditional Tet. -CVN/VNA