The story of the Vietnamese water fern that Pham Tuan brought into space and became a work of art

Artist Le Giang was inspired by the story of the water fern that Pham Tuan brought into space in 1980 to create the installation - video art 142 around the Earth.

The work Umbilical Cord by Le Dang Ninh - Photo: T.DIEU

The work is being displayed alongside unique artworks by eight other artists at the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) in Hanoi , in the exhibition Toa V - The scientific focal point , an exhibition that celebrates scientific achievements and creative applications for sustainable development and the future of humanity.

This is a special art event within the framework of VinFuture Science and Technology Week 2025, marking the 5th anniversary of the VinFuture Award as well as the 5th season of the Foliage exhibition of VCCA. The exhibition lasts until February 28, 2026.

The exhibition is divided into pairs of artists to create works according to 5 themes for 5 spaces (5 stations), except for the work of the late artist Le Thiet Cuong which stands alone as a separate station.

Artists come together to question the place of humans in the larger ecosystem through works of art.

Le Dang Ninh's shield is made from hundreds of glass bottles containing vaccines - Photo: T.DIEU

From the memory of a grain of rice to a water fern flying into space

The exhibition is organized into 5 "stations" - corresponding to 5 important scientific thinking areas.

Station 1 : Seeds of Life - Agricultural Science is a series of minimalist paintings and sculptures about rice grains by the late artist Le Thiet Cuong. The organizers chose to open Toa V with the memory of rice grains - the symbol of rice civilization.

According to Le Thiet Cuong, rice grains not only feed the Vietnamese people but also create the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. Through rice grains, we can see the Vietnamese people, through the Vietnamese people we can see rice grains and see the spiritual "gene code" of the Vietnamese people.

Rice grain sculpture by Le Thiet Cuong - Photo: T.DIEU

A series of rice grain paintings by Le Thiet Cuong at the exhibition - Photo: T.DIEU

Station 2: Life - Medicine for Humanity, Includes unique works by artists Le Giang and Le Dang Ninh, taking the audience deep into the world of biology.

Le Dang Ninh attracted attention with a series of creative works from glass bottles containing vaccines called Umbilical Cord, Wings, Shield . The vaccine bottles were created by the artist into architectural installations that shine like the sun - the original source of energy that gives birth to all things.

The work reminds us that human power lies not only in scientific knowledge, but also in kindness and hope that is constantly renewed.

Le Giang brings a fascinating story of Vietnamese people flying into space through artistic language.

On July 23, 1980, pilot Pham Tuan became the first Vietnamese and Asian to fly into space, departing from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (former Soviet Union). The flight had a meaning that went beyond a purely scientific achievement; it symbolized the aspirations for the future of a country that had just emerged from war.

On his journey to the Salyut-6 space station, he brought along samples of Azolla (water fern) familiar from the Northern Delta to study its potential applications in space travel.

A humble plant, associated with agriculture and folklore, was put into orbit as a "seed" for extraterrestrial life.

The story became the inspiration for Le Giang to create a group of works including the installation Mother's Earrings with crystal sculptures simulating the delicate structure of water hyacinth; and a video art collaboration between her and Tung Monkey.

The project invites people to rethink the relationship between humans and nature: not as an order based on instrumentality, but as a shared space of interdependence.

Video art by Le Giang about the story of the water fern that Pham Tuan brought into space - Photo: T.DIEU

From the garden of arrowroot to the void of imagination

Station 3: Structure - Materials of the Future is where artist Bui Quoc Khanh and artist Do Ha Hoai redefine matter.

Inspired by self-healing materials, Bui Quoc Khanh's installation Somewhere, Deep Inside evokes a living body, where the ability to self-regulate and regenerate after being damaged expresses the close relationship between humans and nature.

A garden of arrowroot plants planted on molds is used to represent the history of human development, alongside nature.

Somewhere, deep inside of Bui Quoc Khanh - Photo: T.DIEU

Parallel is the installation work Farm by Do Ha Hoai, made from existing objects, old works, and found objects.

Station 4: Consciousness Domain - The Realm of Intelligence is where artists Do Hiep and Pham Minh Hieu use light and data as symbols of intelligence. Here, light is not only a physical phenomenon but also a metaphor for the moment when people overcome the vague darkness to reach new knowledge.

The journey concludes at Station 5: Source of Life - Environmental Science with works by artist Vu Binh Minh and artist Trinh Minh Tien.

Trinh Minh Tien's series of sculptures In the Self-Creation Process of Material and Painting The Void of Imagination invites viewers to contemplate the relationship between the natural, material and spiritual environment, the constant transformation of the world and human imagination.

The work Endless Sky by Vu Binh Minh opens a dialogue between science and intuition, between matter and the primal breath of nature.

Then by Pham Minh Hieu - Photo: T.DIEU

A corner of the work Farm by Do Ha Hoai - Photo: T.DIEU

Large-scale painting The Void of Imagination by Trinh Minh Tien - Photo: T.DIEU

BIRD OF PARADISE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-dam-beo-hoa-dau-viet-nam-duoc-pham-tuan-mang-len-vu-tru-buoc-vao-tac-pham-nghe-thuat-20251203072040837.htm