The "landscape" installation by young artist Pham Minh Hieu attracted the attention of many visitors when it was displayed at the exhibition "The quintessence of Scenes" organized by Tam Son at Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
Located in the first hall area when entering the exhibition, the "scenes" show the scene of a corner of Hanoi streets in early autumn seen from the high-rise balcony. The work is a blend of contemporary lacquer art, mosaic scrap art and mechanical and technological elements.
Many audiences were delighted with the way Pham Minh Hieu handled the sharpness and color combinations in the work. Ms. Phuong Mai (25 years old), working in the design field, shared:
Traditional lacquer paint often has dark tones such as brown, purple red or black. But here, the colors are bright, clear and have a delicate color change. I think the artist had an interesting experiment when bringing contemporary lacquer into such a multi-layered arrangement".
collaborating with experienced artisans from Hanoi, Pham Minh Hieu has spent many months researching and testing complex processing techniques of contemporary lacquer paint.
From testing shiny surfaces, blooming, grinding to gold leaf, silver leaf and hand-painted with a pencil on the color background, each effect is carefully considered by him to ensure visual efficiency.
Together with his colleagues, he continued to arrange 1,200 lacquer pieces with separate shapes, tones and surface effects in a harmonious layout between light - dark, dark - bland.
The work has also changed over time thanks to mechanical factors that Pham Minh Hieu calls "transformation mechanics" - a structure that helps control the movement of lacquer details. The shiny, silver-dyed red birds move up and down between the "leafy layers" and the "beds", like small birds waving in a space dyed by sunlight.
Putting a stillness next to a stillness is a way for me to contemplate change and development. At the same time, I also tell the story of Hanoi - where I was born; about the people who chose this place to live, to start a business, and to be the starting point for the journey to spread inspiration. The work creates necessary breaks to stop and reflect, artist Pham Minh Hieu explained the idea.
The "landscape" work not only evokes the ability to apply lacquer and mechanics in installation art, but also reveals how the younger generation of artists are continuing and nurturing traditional crafts alongside contemporary creativity.
