HÀ NỘI — Three contemporary artists have been invited to participate in the concluding exhibition at Hà Nội Creativity City from April 14 to 28.

The exhibition is part of the series Crafting Home, which is supported by Re-designing Craft: The Future is Handmade. 

Vietnamese people in earlier times, primarily farmers for whom year-round hardships were the norm, venerated their ancestors, tutelary deities, the Buddha, nature - rivers, earth, animals, the tree in front of their house - and the earthen stove in their kitchen.  

In doing so, they expressed their wish for a comfortable life and favourable weather, hoping that the divine beings and souls of the bygone eras would watch over them.

"The Vietnamese people’s faith in the spiritual world and their relationship with nature have morphed through the ages - from the feudal era to the period of French colonisation, from the wartime years to the years witnessing a flurry of industrialisation, consumerism and urbanisation," artist Nguyễn Phương Linh, the exhibition curator, said.

"If the divine beings can offer a spiritual therapy of sorts in a modern context such as ours," Linh added. 

The artists participating in the event are Nguyễn Huy An, Nguyễn Đức Phương and Tạ Minh Đức. At the exhibition, titled Trông Trời Ngóng Thánh (Looking For The Divine Beings), the artists will share their own stories, which are inspired by lingering scenes, memories fondly associated with the countryside, folktales and family stories. 

The multimedia exhibition will be organised by Nhà Sàn Collective at creativity city, No 1 Lương Yên Street, and include paintings, installations and videos. 

Both An and Phương were born in 1982 in Hà Nội. An is known for his installations and performance art pieces, which are serene, minimalistic and poetic. His practice delves into the void and darkness of the human psyche. He has participated in important exhibitions in the region, such as the Nippon International Performance Art Festival, Singapore Biennale and Istanbul Biennale 2015.

Belonging to Ước Lễ Village, which specialises in making giò chả (Vietnamese sausages), Phương uses natural colours originating from soil or flowers and plants on giấy bản (a traditional handmade paper) in his bright herds boy-style paintings, depicting his memory of a long-gone Hà Nội or of the villages that he remembers fondly.

Born in 1991, Đức graduated from the Hà Nội Academy of Theatre and Cinema in 2014. His works question the notions of existence, human relationships, isolation of the individual, latent violence and domination. Recent notable artistic activities include an exhibition at the Japan Foundation. He also participated at the Autumn Meeting 2016 and won Short Film of the Future Award.

The Nhà Sàn Collective is dedicated to examining traditional, local and global socio-political contexts and history and seeking and nurturing young artists in the community.

The exhibition will open at 6pm on April 15. — VNS