'Chair Story' by Le Thiet Cuong

Le Thiet Cuong is a painter with many friends and is very accommodating to them. Painters, writers, and musicians come to his house at 39 Ly Quoc Su (Hanoi), sit comfortably on a chair, and discuss both art and life.

Cuong pampered his friends to the point that once he threw away an entire set of old tables and chairs, replacing them with a very soft sofa so they could sit comfortably. But Cuong also kept many traditional chairs for himself - to make a collection. He was attached to them because of the old patterns, the old skillful hands of the craftsmen, the cultural spirit hidden in the carvings.

Le Thiet Cuong's Chair Story exhibition opened on August 9 (lasts until August 19 in Hanoi ) and most importantly, it features 30 chairs he designed himself over the past 18 years. The chairs are designed in a minimalist style, with a blend of traditional and modern spirit that is difficult to distinguish. There are patterns of the Longevity character or the Seal character of East Asian tradition. There are also Bat Trang ceramic materials used. Each chair, in addition to being a place to sit, is also a sculpture and decoration. Cuong displays chairs like he displays flower vases. He confided: "We should not limit the chair to its literal meaning."

Cuong's chairs are frugal with colors, almost every chair has only one color. When there are more, the main color will also block the rest. The blocks are even more frugal. It feels like he already has square, round, triangular modules and then assembles them into his chair. That doesn't mean his chairs lack variety. Cuong's talent is that each chair still reflects different shapes.

“There are thousands of styles of chairs for sitting. But perhaps only Le Thiet Cuong can make chairs for looking at. The chair has awakened after centuries of dormancy to take on a private identity as a work of art,” said artist Trinh Tu after sitting on all kinds of square and round chairs, with or without the word “happiness” by Le Thiet Cuong. Mr. Tu is the son of the best furniture designer in Vietnam to date - Mr. Trinh Huu Ngoc, with the Memo brand in the early 20th century.

After Hanoi, the Chair Story exhibition will open on August 29 in Hue , November 25 in Ho Chi Minh City and December 15 in Da Lat.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-ghe-cua-le-thiet-cuong-185874323.htm