Exhibition “Inside the Garden”
Opening: Sat 22 Oct 2022, 06 pm
Exhibition: 22 Oct – 15 Nov 2022, 09 am – 08 pm
The Muse Artspace
Số 47 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
From the organizer:
This lacquer painting series “Inside the Garden” is a project starting from early 2019. Artist Vu Van Tich once told us that 3-years is the minimum period that he needs to do preparation, due to the intricacies required in lacquer techniques. Perfecting this artistic medium can be challenging, even with years of experience. The exhibition is made possible thanks to the perseverance driven by passion and discipline of the artist. We have had many discussions regarding the essential techniques and unique values of lacquer – a material that’s mentioned in the book The Artistic Capital of Vietnamese Nation.
Van Tich often concerned himself with the creative directions of lacquer painting. He began by spending 10 years working on simple topics that stem from personal perspectives. The level of sophistication of these paintings is the direct result of Tich’s efforts in the early days.
The exhibition “Inside the Garden” includes 20 artworks that share a coherent composition rhythm. Two paintings, Inside the Garden and Spring is Here, are scaled up to 1,6 meters, depicting the romantic floral scenery of the Northwest region in Vietnam. Other paintings such as Purple Cactus, Wind Day, or Night focus on the elegant beauty, and the different states and characteristics of plants in the garden. Having a cold, gloomy background, the painting Late Afternoon highlights the red-orange hues of the flower bushes. The foliages lurk behind a mysterious night. The painting shines a light on the distant memories that are hidden deep within. Meanwhile, the Golden Mai directly took inspiration from the artist’s personal event. He applied thin layers of multi-tone purple on the surface, and powdered them with reflective silver/gold leaves, producing a clear and vast setting. By using fine silver powder, painting through multi-layer, combining three shades of red, extracted from Cinabrio minerals, fusing artistic quirks such as inverting contrasting spaces, and employing symbolic language, Van Tich has constructed a vibrant and vivacious garden.
Ever since the first professors of the Indochina Fine Arts College introduced lacquer as an artistic medium to Vietnam, Vietnamese lacquer painting has only gone through less than 100 years of development. Nonetheless, it has shortly become a prominent element in Vietnamese art culture. Concerning other materials, lacquer painting has proven difficult to work with. It has various grinding and tempering stages, while other factors, including humidity and weather conditions, can greatly influence the outcome. Materials utilized in lacquer paintings are natural ingredients, namely lacquer, Son pigment, gold, silver, nacre, eggshell, mussel shell, etc. Currently, Van Tich can apply hundreds of substances within the process of composing a lacquer artwork. Regardless, the ultimate factor that constitutes a profound artwork lies not within the structure, but in the spectrum of the artist’s spirit. Therefore, The Muse Artspace proudly presents Van Tich along with the exhibition “Inside the Garden”. May his spirit guide us amid these whimsical and poetic moments.
Follow updates on event’s page.
