An evaluation of the image of the fairy in Vietnamese culture

A series of works inspired by the depiction of fairies riding dragons, which are very popular in the carvings of communal houses in the Vietnamese countryside, are on display at the Culture and Arts Center at 22 Hang Buom Street. The exhibition was met with great interest by experts and visitors.

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Four artistic spaces named “Fairy Dream”, “Fairy Garden”, “Fairy Kite” and “Fairy Dragon” are united within the “Fairy and Dragon” exhibition.

Located at 22 Hàng Buôm Street (Hoàn Kiem District, Hanoi), once the doors of the Culture and Arts Center open, visitors can journey into a magical world. Two fairy-like kites by artist Quan Hang Cao fly under the building’s ceiling with their colorful ribbons. 22 These kites have already appeared in the skies of several foreign countries before being included in the Hàng Buôm exhibition.

The main work of the exhibition is the work “100 to 100 million” by the young artist Truong Hoang Hai. It consists of 100 lacquered eggs in a square frame covered with straw and rice grains. The artist was inspired by a Vietnamese legend Children of a dragon and a fairy It tells the story of Vietnamese born from 100 eggs.

Two kites in the shape of a fairy.

The exhibition mobilizes a total of forty artists who have only two months to complete their works. The image of a fairy originates from Vietnamese culture. This is one of the most popular themes in the art of the past years in the Red River Delta region. To prepare this exhibition, the artists went to several municipal buildings in the North and studied the image of the fairy from different perspectives: symbolic, cultural and historical… Then they developed their ideas by realizing the image of the famous fairy in their works. fairy from different points of view.

The presented works are the result of the hard work of artists, especially young people, who are increasingly turning to the traditional cultural heritage of the country. The exhibition also aims to be a bridge between different generations of artists who complement each other in such an interdisciplinary project. “Through the project, I want to guide young artists to traditional values ​​and images in Vietnamese culture and visual arts.“, the curator of the exhibition, artist Nguyên Thê Son, emphasized.

A dialogue between tradition and modernity

About 40 artists participated in the exhibition.

Traditional materials of Vietnamese fine art such as silk, lacquer or paper do (ramn neuron paper) is still named honorary in this exhibition. On the other hand, the works are particularly suited to the space of the Culture and Art Center at 22 Hàng Buôm Street, which was formerly the headquarters of the Guangdong congregation.

“My ceramic work is called +La Fée+. Ceramics itself is a historical material of Vietnamese culture, but still remains quite modern. My work is divided into 6 fragments representing the 6 main periods of the Vietnamese feudal regime. It is covered with jade and green enamel“, explained artist Lê Van Dai. He continued: “My creations respond to the ceramic paintings of the former Guangdong Community Headquarters. When the Guandun people came there, they built this headquarters and decorated it with green glazed ceramic paintings. As artists, we create works in the same spirit as Guangdong ceramics to prove that Vietnamese artworks are as beautiful as Chinese art.”

The artists mobilized the traditional materials of Vietnamese visual arts.

The “Fairy and Dragon” exhibition is part of the recently held Festival of Design and Creativity 2022, organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports in collaboration with the magazine. Architecture (Under the Vietnam Association of Architects). The event aims to promote the capital’s creative and cultural resources.

In response to the general theme of the festival, “Design and Technology”, a space has been specially reserved for Game 3D Air Skylen at 22 rue Hàng Buôm. In addition to the highly immersive video game, the venue also attracts visitors with a giant map of Hanoi. Through this work, artists Quang Lâm, Nguyễn Thê Son and their collaborators express their desire to see the city of Hanoi greener, where urbanization goes hand in hand with nature and the environment. “This exhibition is diverse in terms of materials used on lacquer, silk, paper… At the same time, with different artistic genres such as photography, music, live performances, games… I want the exhibition to provide visitors with multidimensional experiences in one heritage. Headquarters location at 22 rue Hàng Buôm“, said Nguyên Thê Son.

The exhibition continues until the traditional Tet.

Text and photos: Vân Anh/CVN