This photo shows a pottery jar engraved with sutra by artist Lê Thiết Cương that will be displayed at Kinh Gốm exhibition. Photo courtesy of the organisation board

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese artist Lê Thiết Cương will showcase his latest work of engraving sutra on 40 pottery products from four popular traditional pottery villages at an exhibition that will be held at Gallery39 located on Hà Nội's Lý Quốc Sư Street from October 2-12.

This year’s event follows the Thơ Gốm exhibition which displayed potteries  engraved with poems in 2017.

For this October's Kinh Gốm exhibition, Cương decorated pottery jars with classic verses of sutra together with illustrations. The short commentaries sometimes contain only a few words, or large, simple and profound scientific thoughts.

According to the artist, he aims to preserve and renew tradition on ceramic materials through these modern pottery works.

"I renew the familiar potteries like the pot, the jar or the kettle to make it still itself but in a more beautiful and modern mode,” Cương said.

Another part of the exhibition is paintings of colour powder on cheesecloth, the material the painter used from 1990 to 2005. The inspiration for such paintings is derived from poems by historical figures like Kings Lý Thánh Tông (1023-1072) and Trần Nhân Tông (1258-1308) or celebrated poet Nguyễn Du (1766-1820).

Gallery39 opens on weekdays from 9:30am to 11:30pm in the morning and from 2:00pm to 4:00pm in the afternoon. Entrance is free.

The exhibition also launches the book of the same name, Kinh Gốm, featuring the works of young photographer Lê Nguyên Nhật.

Hà Nội-based artist Lê Thiết Cương, born in 1962, graduated from the Faculty of Art Design, Hà Nội University of Theatre and Cinema. He is known as a multi-talented artist who creates works in many art fields like painting, photography, pottery or writing.

Some of his works are being exhibited in the National Museum of Singapore. In addition to his art career, Cương has contributed to supporting young artists and building an art community through curating non-profit exhibitions at Gallery39, as well as being judge for photography competitions in recent years. VNS