KVT – Fired Earth to Make your Eyes and Spirits Soar

KVT and a two day POP UP at the Art Museum

There’s what you might call a POP UP at the Museum of Art and it’s a POP Up to make your eyes POP and your spirit soar

Artist Dao Toan has made an exhibition in the free entrance galleries at the Museum that will go down as one of the best anywhere in Hanoi this year

The pity of it all is that it’s only on for two days

If I was a commercial gallery owner I’d be down on my knees begging Toan to have a similar show in my place

The exhibition is titled Earth by Fire and Zodiac which is pretty self explanatory when you see the show that is carefully overseen by a friendly phalanx to make sure that you don’t touch the work or take photos (hence the dirth of images in this opinion piece because I always follow the artists’ dictates)

Bao Toan is no stranger to the world of pottery/ceramics outside Vietnam and below are three images of vessels from an important show in Djakarta this year

It appears that Bao Toan mostly uses the age old method of coiling to hand build his objects and his work is certainly unique and appealing.

His vessels are coiled, simply glazed, occasionally scored or decorated with simple motifs and fired and all have a roughness and an aged almost primitive look to them that a host of very professional potters/ceramicists would envy.

At this point an important aspect about this 64 year old artist which could explain the visual and referential appeal of his pottery/ceramics:

Besides working as an artist he also works as specialist to restore and repair antique ceramic art works from century of 14, 15, and 16 in Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

What make a majority stand out are touches like gold leaf highlights or string/dried plant fibers that deceptively and simply bind them such as on this lime pot (image taken from PR)

Also on these vessels –also from PR

This year was the Year of the horse and Bao Toan has a series of statuesque, formalized, sometimes quirky equine individuals beautifully displayed on plinths and under perspex cubes. Most have gold leaf embellishment.

The Zodiac element is the stand out feature of the exhibition with four large sets of the 12 animals, each set unique.

Each set has the animals equally separated by a large lingam and vulva that fit in harmoniously and perfectly

These zodiac sets would have to be the best I’ve come across anywhere and would be totally stunning in any collection.

Two zodiac paintings and a set of sodiac plates with a slightly cubist motif are also quite nice

If you can’t get to the Museum today to catch this brilliant show and are keen buyers then I guess that Bao Toan can be reached at the addresses on his cards freely available at the museum: [email protected] or at 330 7795