The harmonious combination of art and life in “The Baron

Opening of the exhibition "Baron - Puzzle Pieces". Photo: Thuy Du

Inspired by the idea of “Home is a place to return to, I don’t know when it started… I just know how to do and do, the more I do, the more I am fascinated with the old ways”, the exhibition “The Baron – The Puzzle Pieces” shows the diversity in creative methods and contains a message about the connection and synthesis of seemingly separate elements to create a complete whole, with profound meaning about culture and heritage.

Explaining the exhibition name, Meritorious Artisan Tran Nam Tuoc said that culture is about spreading and building. The previous generation spreads to the next generation and the next generation builds on the previous generation. Each person is a piece of the puzzle and many generations will gradually create heritage. From heritage becomes culture and from culture becomes history, into stories. When there is history, there are stories, that nation will have its own voice.

Meritorious Artisan Tran Nam Tuoc shares about the exhibition. Photo: Thuy Du

The exhibition is a journey to discover the harmonious combination between art and life through works created from many different materials and techniques.

The 35 works at the exhibition are presented in 3 parts. Part 1 is traditional sculptural and decorative shapes made of ceramic and terracotta materials such as knife corners, pliers, large-sized bronze lanterns, suitable for contemporary cultural works, including decorative ceramic tiles, reliefs, multi-colored enamel paintings with themes of folk tales and legends. In particular, the faucets and ventilation doors introduced at the exhibition are elements that have been applied to works for the past 25 years of the artisan. In addition, there are also typical Bat Trang ceramic works, decorative ceramic tiles with different sizes and glazes.

The "12-panel Trung Hieu Mon" door set by artisan Tran Nam Tuoc.

Part 2 focuses on historical wood carvings such as “The Four Great Chickens (o ó oo)” or the “12-panel Trung Hieu Mon” door set – the work that won him First Prize at the 4th National Applied Fine Arts Exhibition in 2019. The wood carvings are colored in the traditional tam lam or lacquer style, demonstrating sophisticated carving techniques and creative shaping thinking.

In part 3, for the first time, the artist introduces to the public hand-drawn drawings and design sketches that have been practically applied over the past two decades. Not only do these drawings have documentary value, they are also evidence of a persistent, detailed and emotional artistic labor process.

Enjoying the works of artisan Tran Nam Tuoc. Photo: Thuy Du

The exhibition is an opportunity for the public to admire works of high practicality but still retain profound artistic value, blending contemporary breath with ancient culture - the crystallization of the talent and dedication of Meritorious Artisan Tran Nam Tuoc.

Assessing the talent of Meritorious Artisan Tran Nam Tuoc, painter Luong Xuan Doan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, shared: “Tran Nam Tuoc relies on the earth to get the soul of the earth, anchors himself to the fire to get the glaze color, it is a destiny that is predetermined and given by heaven. But not everyone has that destiny… and Tran Nam Tuoc becomes more and more different, more and more strange and beautiful with his profession - has been and is affirming a beautiful position alongside tradition and contemporary of 21st century Vietnamese ceramics”.

The exhibition runs until August 12.

Meritorious artisan Tran Nam Tuoc, whose real name is Tran Xuan Trieu, was born in 1974 in Hung Yen (formerly Thai Binh ). He is considered a talented potter with a hundred skills - although he was not born in a pottery village, he became famous in this land.

Tran Nam Tuoc is constantly innovating, combining inspiration from classical historical stories and cultural values to create ceramic works that are highly applicable but still retain profound artistic value. This is clearly demonstrated through his exhibitions. Before this exhibition, he was very successful with two exhibitions "Modern Animals" (2023) and "Nam Tuoc - Soul of the Earth" (2024).

Some works at the exhibition: