“The eclipse of the sun” by Le Ba Cang
The exhibition “The Color of the Fall” taking place at Lebadang Memory Space this year (from July 31 to August 6) introduces to the public 32 works by 23 artist members of the Thua Thien Hue Branch of VFAA, each of which expresses a different style of creativity. The fact that the works vary in contents and materials indicates the artists’ attempt in creativity in order to affirm the values of Hue fine art that is concurrent with the national fine art.
The exhibition “The Color of the Fall” is permanently so-entitled as it occurs in the fall. Yet the exhibition goes beyond the spatial and temporal scope of this beautiful season of the year. The themes vary from the recent issues such as environment pollution and the historical problems of wars to the artists’ contemplation of human life.
Contributed by well-known names, including Phan Thanh Binh, Nguyen Thien Duc, Dang Mau Tuu, Dang Mau Triet, Nguyen Thi Hai Hoa, To Tran Bich Thuy, Hoang Thanh Phong and Nguyen Thi Hue, the exhibition has brought a colorful space of art, ranging from oil on canvas, lacquer, acrylics, sculpture, graphics to synthetics. Each work is seen from an angle of life, which is indicative of the artists’ search for creativity.
According to Dang Mau Tuu (artist), Head of Thua Thien Hue Branch of VFAA, all the works exhibited at “The Color of the Fall” are artists’ new works aspired from their passion for creativity. Most VFAA members of Hue have given impression to fine arts, and this exhibition is an opportunity for them to shape their styles and establish their reputations.
Their artistic discoveries for the past year have been clearly seen in a variety of types, materials, techniques, style as well as topics, contributing to the exhibition lively and charming artworks.
“The Riverside Guard Booth” by Dang Mau Tuu
In addition to the well-styled and technically-handled works by well-known artists, at “The Color of the Fall,” there are experiments of new trends in creation. Le Ba Cang’s “The Eclipse of the Sun” is an experiment on a mixture painting colors, clay, pine resin and acrylic.
With a rough clay surface surrounded by a smooth layer of pine resin, the work shows the movement of the sun and the moon through nine different phases. Inspired from the Nguyen Dynasty decoration motif with cloud and raindrop patterns on The Nine Tripod Cauldrons, “The Eclipse of the Sun” reflects the brightness and darkness of life, as well as the reciprocation between the Earth, the Sun and the Human Beings in the universe.
Nguyen Thi Hue’s “The Forest Story”, mainly in black and white, is in the series themed “carbonized rain” which goes on to raise the awareness of the environment protection. This is seen as a milestone in this female artist’s career pathway where her great concerns about environmental issues are always present.
On the same theme of environment protection, Ngo Tam’s work “Aspiration” is a depiction of the deadly destruction that pollution causes to the sea. On another theme through the work “Untitled”, the artist expresses a nostalgia of the childhood memory in the image of the children hiding from the rain under the banana leaf.
The pleasant tones of the fall are also reflected in a number of works; for example, Hai Hoa’s “The Far-off Fall” describes the yellow universe in the fall with the waving reeds in the peaceful breeze. In the work “Golden Sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon” by Tuyet Mai, the moored boats, the floating huts on the lagoon and the special fish traps are drowning in the carefree sunset and the gold-inlaid water.
To the artists, the fall is also a reminder of an important event of the country: the August Revolution. Therefore, there are several artworks of the revolutionary war present at “The Color of the Fall” exhibition.
Dang Mau Tuu’s abstract-styled work “The Riverside Guard Booth” is about the DMZ at Ben Hai river. It creates a feeling of suffocation of the war through the image of the barbed wire fences, the black holes and the hostile eyes even when there is no gunshot.
The work “The Power of Logistics” by Hoang Thanh Phong
Ever successful with the work “The Magic Journeys” which depicted reinforcement trucks under the bombing rain in the war against the American, Hoang Thanh Phong continues the theme with the work “The Power of Logistics” manifesting the beauty of public workers carrying rice to the front dreaming of the peace days. The lacquer “Reconnecting Hien Luong riverbanks” by Nguyen Van Nguyen shows the warm gathering on the Union Day of the country.
Most of the works at the exhibition “The Color of the Fall” will be displayed at the regional exhibition of the Northern Central Vietnam. The exhibition of the artworks in Hue prior to the regional exhibition offers an opportunity for the public to enjoy the impressive, valuable works. This is the expectation of Thua Thien Hue branch of VFAA and Hue Museum of Fine Art as well as their motivation to hold the exhibition annually.
Story and photos: Trang Hien