Applicability is the first and foremost criterion
Painter Vi Kien Thanh, who is also head of the exhibition’s organising board, said that this exhibition marked a turning point in terms of aesthetic value, artistic quality and applicability, stressing that 100% of the works on display meet people’s diverse demands to improve quality of life while being environmental friendly and having many useful functions.
The exhibition, kicked off in Hanoi in early October, offers visitors with a collection of 280 high quality artworks, which are arranged in a professionally and elaborately decorated space.
Affirming that applicability is the No.1 criteria for evaluating the entries, painter Luong Xuan Doan, Vice President of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, cited an example of ‘Trung Hieu Mon’, a set of four wooden doors which won first prize in the decoration category.
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‘Trung Hieu Mon’, the first-prize winning set of four wooden doors by artisan Tran Nam Tuoc (Photo: baodautu.vn)
Inspired from an old story from the past, artisan Tran Nam Tuoc from Hanoi brought a fresh appearance to the door at his own house. The first challenge facing the artist’s creativity is how to make the set of doors work in his own living space. Tuoc has received a lot of orders for the door set, which proves the applicability of his art work.
The first prize winner, artisan Tran Nam Tuoc said that doors are familiar and popular objects in people’s lives, everyone has to step in and out through doors many times throughout their life.
However, how to create an artwork inspired from the object is a long way, which took him almost one year to finish. Each step in the making of the door set was done manually with its decoration patterns coming from popular images in daily life, including chickens, storks, rice grains, and pineapples.
Tuoc also said that although he has received a lot of orders for this products, he hasn’t just copied and pasted the original, but he has blended new creativities in producing new ones. That the artwork opens the door not only to the country’s tradition but also to contemporary life has been highly appreciated by the jury.
A turning-point in professionalism
Painter Ho Nam, a member of the jury board, said that this year’s exhibition is being held more professionally than its previous three editions. The Hanoi Museum provides a perfect venue for hosting the exhibition, which honours many products made by artisans from traditional craft villages.
The 2019 exhibition also saw the largest number of entries submitted by craft villagers, which are varied in styles of weaving, silver carving, and lacquer decoration. The products not only boast the artisans’ skill but also catch up to world trends in applied fine arts.
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A set of bamboo lamps with dragon scale shaped weaving style by Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Tinh
Sharing about his first-prize winning set of bamboo lamps with dragon scale shaped weaving style, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Tinh from Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan weaving village in Chuong
My District in Hanoi, said that he has promoted the sophisticated bamboo weaving style of his ancestors in producing more marketable and applicable products which meet the demands of customers in modern life.
In response to the call for environmentally friendly products, Tinh utilised rattan as the material for his product and processed the material properly to make the product stand the test of the hot and wet weather in Vietnam’s northern region.
According to painter Luong Xuan Doan, the market’s growth and increasing demand of customers have required Vietnamese traditional craft villagers to seek ways to renovate their operation, raise their professionalism, and improve the quality of their products.
He also rejoiced over the rising of young artisans, which has brought a fresh breath into traditional craft villages. Thanks to them, the country’s traditional is being woken up with new appearance and vitality, Doan stressed.
The 2019 national applied fine arts exhibition will run until October 30 at Hanoi Museum, Pham Hung Street, Me Tri Ward, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi.
Selected works on display at the exhibition:
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