Zodiac animals look playful and lively at a joint exhibition by twoeclectic artists that opened in Hanoi recently to celebrate the Year ofthe Goat.
Artists Nguyen Quang Thang and Lolo Zazar havedifferent styles. However, they share the desire to celebrate the newyear, honour the past and welcome the present with its promise of whatis to come, said Suzanne Lecht, director of Art Vietnam Gallery, wherethe exhibition is held.
Thang's work consists of a hoanh phi(horizontal frieze) of the five tastes of life and two cau doi (columnsof parallel sentences) comprised of the 12 animals of the zodiac, anhomage to tradition, while French artist Zazar has created a more modernphoto montage of sculpted animals.
Thang is a painter,calligrapher and researcher at the Vietnamese Academy of SocialSciences. He uses Nom, a Sino-Vietnamese language that was widely usedbetween the 15th and 19th centuries by Vietnam's cultured elite, todepict the 12-year cycle of animals that make up the zodiac.
The Vietnamese language as we use today has been romanised. Today, onlya small number of scholars are able to read and write in Nom. While Nomcharacters are still used for decorative, historic and ceremonial valueas well as symbols of good luck, Nom is rarely studied.
Scholars such as Thang are trying to revive this old language. The35-year-old painter is a member of Zenei, a group of five avant-gardecalligraphers and Nom scholars striving to make the language come alivein a modern context.
"While Thang honours tradition bycreating his Nom script zodiac, Zazar presents a more modern depictionof the zodiac," Lecht said.
Zazar, an artist andanimation filmmaker based in Hanoi, views the world of Tet and thezodiac "through childlike eyes, full of wonder and excitement over thesimple joys of life and its encounters," she added.
Forthe last seven years, Zazar has photographed the walls of Hanoi. Here,the artist has taken these photos and assembled them into magical 3Dcreatures that seem to dance with mirth and gaiety. Each sculptedanimal's shape reveals its intrinsic character, accentuated with wittyand playful photos. The freedom and abandon exuded by all these magicalcreatures fills the viewer with hopeful anticipation about the Year ofthe Goat.
The exhibition will run until March 7 at the Art Vietnam Gallery, 24 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hanoi.-VNA
Artists Nguyen Quang Thang and Lolo Zazar havedifferent styles. However, they share the desire to celebrate the newyear, honour the past and welcome the present with its promise of whatis to come, said Suzanne Lecht, director of Art Vietnam Gallery, wherethe exhibition is held.
Thang's work consists of a hoanh phi(horizontal frieze) of the five tastes of life and two cau doi (columnsof parallel sentences) comprised of the 12 animals of the zodiac, anhomage to tradition, while French artist Zazar has created a more modernphoto montage of sculpted animals.
Thang is a painter,calligrapher and researcher at the Vietnamese Academy of SocialSciences. He uses Nom, a Sino-Vietnamese language that was widely usedbetween the 15th and 19th centuries by Vietnam's cultured elite, todepict the 12-year cycle of animals that make up the zodiac.
The Vietnamese language as we use today has been romanised. Today, onlya small number of scholars are able to read and write in Nom. While Nomcharacters are still used for decorative, historic and ceremonial valueas well as symbols of good luck, Nom is rarely studied.
Scholars such as Thang are trying to revive this old language. The35-year-old painter is a member of Zenei, a group of five avant-gardecalligraphers and Nom scholars striving to make the language come alivein a modern context.
"While Thang honours tradition bycreating his Nom script zodiac, Zazar presents a more modern depictionof the zodiac," Lecht said.
Zazar, an artist andanimation filmmaker based in Hanoi, views the world of Tet and thezodiac "through childlike eyes, full of wonder and excitement over thesimple joys of life and its encounters," she added.
Forthe last seven years, Zazar has photographed the walls of Hanoi. Here,the artist has taken these photos and assembled them into magical 3Dcreatures that seem to dance with mirth and gaiety. Each sculptedanimal's shape reveals its intrinsic character, accentuated with wittyand playful photos. The freedom and abandon exuded by all these magicalcreatures fills the viewer with hopeful anticipation about the Year ofthe Goat.
The exhibition will run until March 7 at the Art Vietnam Gallery, 24 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hanoi.-VNA
