Continuing the heritage story through contemporary art

As expected from the first exhibition a year ago, the Heritage And Art artist group and the project "Vietnamese cultural heritage through the perspective of contemporary artists" have returned with a new mark through the painting and sculpture exhibition "Once upon a time - The story of the village communal house - Tay Dang Communal House" taking place at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

36 works at the exhibition inspired by Vietnamese communal houses continue to tell the story of endless heritage in today's life.

Visitors to the painting and sculpture exhibition "Once upon a time - Village communal house story - Tay Dang communal house" at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

The old village communal house is still alive

Sharing the same desire to inherit, preserve, develop and promote Vietnamese cultural heritage to the domestic public and international friends, artist Nguyen Minh (Minh Pho) initiated and established the artist group Heritage And Art (H&A) with the project "Vietnamese cultural heritage through the perspective of contemporary artists". The artists organized many field trips to collect documents, draw and meet people associated with the heritage to learn more deeply about the value of traditional culture. From there, they created contemporary works of art with a systematic approach, while still maintaining their own thinking and aesthetics.

If in 2024, the group chose the theme of national treasures, then in 2025, the artists will focus on the communal houses of the Northern region. Explaining this choice, artist Nguyen Minh said that Vietnamese cultural heritage is a huge treasure spanning the ages. In particular, communal houses and communal house culture are unique features, bearing the distinct mark of Vietnam. Not only stopping at architecture, but also from customs, worship, to stories and legends embedded in the carvings, communal houses have become unique cultural symbols. Initially, the group chose Tay Dang communal house as the starting point, then will continue to research the communal houses in the system of four towns, moving towards the exhibition "Four towns of communal houses of the Northern region".

The exhibition space on the second floor of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is truly captivating these days. 36 works by 17 authors in many genres: Painting, sculpture, graphics on lacquer, silk, ceramics, wood carving, oil painting, synthetic materials... have brought the public to vivid slices of Vietnamese communal houses. The UV-printed gold-plated wood work "Nguyet Gac Tay Dang" by artist Do Thanh brings the feeling of a whisper from memory, evoking the viewer to quietly contemplate.

Artist Luong Thu Ha found inspiration from the insects on the carvings at Tay Dang communal house in her work “Old Wishes - Forever Dreams”, making viewers ponder the intersection between reality and fantasy, between the tangible and the deep spiritual realm, things that still resonate today and echo into the future.

Meanwhile, artist Minh Pho continues to pursue his creative pursuit of heritage, streets - villages - grains of rice. From Tay Dang communal house, the artist creates a dialogue between tradition and contemporary. The communal house roof, fairies, carvings, Northern village gates, paper cranes of childhood... blend into a new motif, opening up a different way of telling stories but still vivid and familiar...

Lighting up heritage in contemporary life

Faced with the new way of telling about the village communal house, artist Luong Xuan Doan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, commented: "The new Vietnamese, the young people of the 7X, 8X, 9X generations, do not hide behind but confidently inherit to make a difference the old treasures that our predecessors, ancestors, grandparents, and parents passed down."

Following the project from the beginning, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, a full-time member of the National Assembly 's Committee on Culture and Society, said that cultural heritage is the strong thread connecting the past - present - future. Born from that spirit, "Vietnamese cultural heritage through the perspective of contemporary artists" combines the love of heritage and contemporary artistic creativity to tell old stories in a new language, close to and touching the hearts of the public. Therefore, each work is not only a personal creation, but also a piece of community memory, a tribute to ancestors and a message to future generations: "Inheriting, preserving, developing and spreading Vietnamese cultural heritage is a demonstration of respect for the past - looking towards the future".

Artist Nguyen Minh shared that in each exhibition, the H&A group wishes to create a difference so that the public can approach heritage through many multidimensional perspectives. With the increasing number of participating artists and art researchers, the project has shown a strong influence. Not only stopping at research, fieldwork and exhibition of works of art, the project also aims to spread the value of cultural heritage in life, so that the public can access and understand the value of national culture.

Revealing the activities in the coming years, artist Nguyen Minh said that the group will continue to research and create works of art in each phase with tangible cultural heritages (the complex of Hue Monuments, Hoi An Ancient Town, Thang Long Imperial Citadel); natural heritages (Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Ha Long Bay); mixed heritages (Trang An Landscape Complex); intangible cultural heritages (the art of Bai Choi, Bac Ninh Quan Ho, Ca Tru, Nghe Tinh Vi Giam) and other documentary cultural heritages...

With the passion of the artists and the support of the community, the project "Vietnamese cultural heritage through the perspective of contemporary artists" will continue to contribute to lighting up heritage in today's life.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ke-tiep-cau-chuyen-di-san-bang-my-thuat-duong-dai-717570.html