KVT – Angels that Hover around Nha Tho

KVT gets into a fossilized cathedral

The Koreans have sponsored a ‘Friendship’ exhibition at their Cultural Center in that wonderful old building on the corner of Nguyen Du and Hai Ba Trung…which is worth a visit in itself if you are interested in post art deco architecture.

The exhibition is a collection of small pieces by pretty famous Korean and well known Vietnamese artists. There are far too many pieces in the two small galleries to get your head around but if you have selective sight you’ll be able to choose a few favorites. I honed in on Vu Duc Trung’s lacquer forests and Nguyen The Duy’s peopled landscapes in the Vietnamese room.

For me the main reason to go along was to see Vuong Van Thao’s new living s fossil series….of which I’m a great fan in whatever guise they come.

This time Thao has made a huge fossilized block of St Joseph’s Cathedral in Nha To. It is a wonder to behold and one of those singular pieces of art that become sensations.

Thao has a mission to fossilize parts of Hanoi that are in danger of extinction by being razed or modernized. His Old Town fossil blocks were such a sensation at the Singapore Art Museum that they purchased the complete set of one house in each old town street plus a street pole maker. When it is displayed there in a gallery to itself it draws some really appreciative crowds.

Thao’s Long Bien Bridge fossil blocks were also sensational and I think a couple of spans are still available for sale…if you want to see a perfect example visit Diego and Laura at the House of Chula and see a span lit from below…truly sensational.

Last year Thao’s disappearing village gate fossils at L’Espace were similarly beautiful and sensational….and now he’s capped it all with the St Josephs (my photographs do not do it justice…it needs to be seen on its garden pedestal at the Korean Center). Masonary details are amazing when viewed through the cracked resin.