An exhibition showcasing woodcut prints and an installation piece by artist Pham Khac Quang, based on rural life in Vietnam, is being held at the capital's Fine Arts Museum.
 |
| A touch of globalisation: Portraits of Vietnamese peasants engraved on wooden spatulas tell the story of farmers coping with life in a rapidly changing society. |
Quang comments on rural social issues via his character Chu Teu, (Uncle Teu) a narrator in traditional water puppet performances. Cho Nguoi (People Market), shows Teu dressed in a business suit selling old women while Lang Van Hoa (Culture Village), centres on the joyful atmosphere in a village, having received cultural recognition.
Teu is often displayed as a friendly farmer lending a hand harvesting rice crops or relaxing with friends. However, the farmer also sells spiritual elements from his hometown such as the banyan tree, the village pond and the market and paddy fields, caught in Cho Que (Village Market).
"I was born in a traditional village of water puppetry in northern Hai Duong Province. Since my childhood, I have watched villagers make the puppets from wood and bamboo roots. So, I asked myself: ‘Why don't I draw these puppets into contemporary life?' Puppet characters often have a lot in common with and relevance to modern society," the artist explained.
The installation consists of 1,000 portraits of local peasants, encountered by chance around Quang's home village. Situated in an area reminiscent of a small paddy field, the black-and-white woodcut portraits – engraved on the familiar spatulas – are united in a chorus of happiness and sadness.
The idea behind the portraits came from a trip between Hanoi and the artist's hometown during which he witnessed agricultural land being transformed into industrial zones. The exhibition, financed by the Cultural Development and Exchanges Fund of the Danish Embassy in Hanoi, reveals Quang's enthusiasm in using traditional modes of expression to connect real life with contemporary art.
Quang, 36, graduated from the Hanoi University of Fine Arts in 2002. In 2008, he participated in an international graphic art show in China where he first became interested in woodcut prints because of their subtle and expressive nature.
The exhibition will run until Sunday at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.