To celebrate the 13th National Party Congress, 91 years of the founding of the Communist Party and Tân Sửu Spring 2021, Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum is hosting "The Springtime of Our Homeland" exhibition.

Thirty-six sculptures by 29 artists from many different generations including Indochina Fine Arts and Resistance Fine Arts are on display. Younger generations bring diverse perspectives to modern sculpture, reflecting the love for life and for the people as well as contemporary issues.  

A corner of the exhibition featuring young sculptors. — VNS Photo Vân Anh

The materials of the sculptures were diverse, ranging from terracotta, wood, aluminium, bronze, to stone and plaster. 

Many themes collectively make up the exhibition, with pieces praising President Hồ Chí Minh and the Communist Party. Others represent ways to make a living like farming. Many sculptures depict maternal love or celebrate people's diligence.

Other pieces like Rowing festival, The spring dance, and The sound of the traditional lute celebrate springtime in every corner of the country. Small details include the dragon boats and festival outfits.

The piece Comrades by Vũ Hữu Nhung puts a very creative twist on the Đông Sơn bronze drum, using the motif often found as a pattern on the drum. The sculptures collect memories of the past, showing how we’ve kept or evolved from past traditions. 

Many pieces reflect unity in daily lives of local people with different cultures like Đinh Rú’s Drinking rice wine through bamboo straws or Nguyễn Duy Độ’s Washing feet by the stream. The piece Tree of life by Tạ Quang Bạo brings a new concept of abstract art as it combines two people hugging each other, with their upper bodies as the trunk and their heads as the bonsai leaves.

Contemporary sculptures reflect topics like environmental protection in The Gift of the Sea by Hoàng Mai Thiệp. 

The generations of artists, diverse ways of expression through different shapes and forms, the variety of the materials and artists’ own personal styles all shape Việt Nam’s modern sculpture scene.

The exhibition is hoped to convey wishes for a peaceful new year to the greater public. — VNS