Wild Banana series by artist Tran Ngoc Hung.(Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - An exhibition entitled Chuoi Rung (Wild Banana)featuring nearly 40 artworks by painter Tran Ngoc Hung is opened to public in Hanoi.
Wild Banana showcases a new series of paintings made by Hung over more than 10years, featuring powder colours on Vietnamese traditional do (poonah) paper.This is the first time the artist has debuted his do paintings.
"I was inspired by wild banana a long time ago when I was a student havingfield trips to the northern mountainous provinces of Hoa Binh and Son La La,"said Hung. "I focus on expressing wild banana flowers which wither forfruit banana."
Hung studied lacquer at the Industrial Fine Arts University and works with bothlacquer and poonah. The poonah paintings combine traditional materials of thepaper and powered colours in a modern style.
Poonah paper is made from the bark of the poonah tree which can be found in Vietnam’snorthern region. The paper has been used widely since the 18th century inVietnamese folk art such as Dong Ho, Hang Trong and Kim Hoang paintings.
"I want to recover traditional poonah paper and draw in the medium of powdercolours which were used by Vietnamese artists from 1990s and before," Hungsaid. "Nowadays, almost no artist wants to draw with powder coloursbecause it is difficult to mix."
"Thanks to the paper’s unique characteristics -- durable and resilient, ithas to go through a series of meticulous and complicated steps which arecarried out manually," Hung said.
He buys the paper at the handicraft village of Dong Cao in Bac Ninh province,and he dyes the paper with bright and warm tones before he draws.
The wild banana flower theme is a way for Hung to reveal his findings on visualart language and inner feelings.
"I haven’t had chance to see wild banana flower in Vietnam but through thebeautiful paintings by artist Hung I feel the beauty and charming of thisflower," said Park-hyejin, the Korean Culture Centre’s director in Hanoi.
"I’m surprised that do paper is similar to Korean hanji paper which makeseach painting more attractive. I hope the exhibition is a chance for Korean andVietnamese people to discover the natural beauty made by a talentedartist."
Hung currently works at Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. He has had many groupexhibitions in Vietnam and abroad including in Italy in 2013 and China in 2012.His first solo was held at Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in 2015.
The poonah painting exhibition will run until September 29 at the KoreanCulture Centre.-VNS/VNA
VNA
