Đặng Phương Việt lacquer painting Sen Hạ (Summer Lotus) is on display at Sen Đầu Hạ IX. — Photo courtesy of the organising board

HÀ NỘI — A vibrant collection of Buddhist-inspired artworks has gone on display in Hà Nội as artists celebrate Vesak season and the 2,650th anniversary of the Buddha’s birth through paintings and sculptures centred on the symbolic lotus flower.

The exhibition, titled Sen Đầu Hạ IX (Lotus in Early Summer IX), opened at Art Space, 42 Yết Kiêu Street.

Organised by the Central Culture Committee of the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha, the exhibition features works by Buddhist artists from the Mặc Hương group alongside artists from the Hà Nội UNESCO Fine Arts Centre.

Now in its ninth edition, Sen Đầu Hạ has become a familiar artistic gathering during Vesak celebrations.

This year’s exhibition also marks a milestone for the Mặc Hương Buddhist artists’ group, commemorating 20 years since its establishment in 2006.

The exhibition brings together 58 artworks by 36 artists, making it the largest edition to date.

The collection showcases a wide range of materials and artistic styles, including lacquer, oil painting, silk, watercolour, ink painting and sculpture, spanning both realist and abstract approaches.

Through the lotus, a sacred symbol in Buddhism, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on stillness, compassion and inner peace.

Venerable Thích Minh Hiền, deputy head of the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha’s Central Culture Committee, speaks at the opening ceremony of Sen Đầu Hạ IX exhibition.— VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

According to Venerable Thích Minh Hiền, deputy head of the Việt Nam Buddhist Sangha’s Central Culture Committee, the human mind itself was the most talented artist.

“The artist does not paint only with brushes on silk, paper or canvas, but with thoughts, emotions and karma, creating the countless forms of the world,” he said.

He added that for Buddhist artists, painting and colour are not merely tools of artistic creation, but also a means to contemplate the inner self and spread good values in life.

“When art is connected with the spirit of enlightenment, each painting can become a fragrant lotus, helping to spread the Dharma in this world,” he said.

Celestial Horse of Hương Sơn, an abstract lacquer painting by artist Nguyễn Đức Quang.— Photo vtv.vn

Among the featured works are Chín Rồng Tắm Phật (Nine Dragons Bathing the Buddha) by Venerable Thích Từ Quảng, the oil painting Lục Độ Mẫu Tara (The Six Perfections Tara) by Nguyễn Thị Nhàn, the abstract lacquer work Thiên Mã Hương Sơn (Celestial Horse of Hương Sơn) by Nguyễn Đức Quang and the sculpture Liên Trì (The Lotus Pond) by Lương Đức Hùng.

Painter Phan Thị Thanh Mai, director of the Hà Nội UNESCO Fine Arts Centre, said the centre brought 20 works by 17 artists to the exhibition for the first time. Despite differences in materials and visual language, the artworks share a common aspiration towards the light of Buddhism.

Beyond its aesthetic value, Sen Đầu Hạ IX presents art as a bridge connecting beauty, compassion and wisdom, bringing Buddhist values closer to contemporary audiences.

The exhibition runs until May 31 at Art Space, 42 Yết Kiêu Street, Hà Nội. — VNS