Preserving and promoting the identity of a craft village

(BDO) Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer craft village has a long history. There was a time when production scale expanded, "everyone made lacquer, every family made lacquer" creating unique products with their own distinct mark, with talented artisans who loved their craft and devoted themselves to passing on the craft through many generations...

Identity of a craft village

Painter Nguyen Van Quy, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, Vice Chairman of the Lacquer and Sculpture Association of Binh Duong province, said: Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer is a traditional craft village, formed and developed for a long time, creating unique products associated with the artisan or the village name...

Painter Nguyen Van Quy talks about lacquer craft

Since its establishment, Tuong Binh Hiep craft village has created jobs and stable income for many workers, providing craftsmen, artisans and painters to travel all over the country for centuries. Many people who have contributed to passing on the craft have been awarded the title of Excellent Craftsman by the State such as: Tran Van Khiem, Nguyen Huu Sang, Truong Quan Tinh, Le Ba Linh, Dinh Cong Thieu...

In the process of integration and development, identity is something that needs to be preserved. Not outside the preservation and promotion of traditional lacquer craft, on December 5, 2008, the People's Committee of Binh Duong province issued Decision No. 3855/QD-UBND recognizing Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Craft Village as meeting the standards of a traditional craft village.

Painter Nguyen Van Quy creates lacquer paintings

This is a favorable opportunity to open up a new direction for investment development, job creation, labor attraction and career development with local cultural identity.

Lacquer craft in Tuong Binh Hiep was included in the list of "National Intangible Culture" in Decision No. 1328/BVHTTDL, dated April 6, 2016 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, marking an important milestone in the preservation and development of lacquer craft in Binh Duong.

Developing artistic value

Since the early 90s of the 20th century, the lacquer market began to expand, new materials appeared more and more including paints, synthetic resins, industrial glues, MDF panels, terracotta and some materials such as bamboo, reed, tree bark used by lacquer manufacturers, which enriched the designs and decorative forms of lacquer products.

Lacquer painting by artist Nguyen Van Quy

The technique in making lacquer with new materials has a closed technological process, applied in all stages based on many types of combined machines, operated by a team of specialized workers. The model painter has applied, updated on the internet to look up documents, download and process with graphic technology, from which the technique has taken a new step forward through the design stage from photoshop, coredraw software... to have a satisfactory image and then transfer it to a printing machine combined with hand-printing... At the same time, applying the technique of blowing paint, grinding, polishing with a hand-held machine to produce large quantities, can create a series of products in a short time, helping to reduce labor and increase business efficiency.

In terms of decorative value, new lacquer products have many changes with high applicability to adapt to the industrialized environment and customer requirements. Designs are increasingly simple, themes are increasingly novel, bright and eye-catching colors, compact designs suitable for urban spaces in residential areas with small areas. The way of decorating colors without blocks or depth combined to create light and dark effects can be applied in many different spaces.

Particularly, the decorative solution has an antique look such as: sticking a whole silver color on the product, then inlaying eggshells in many shapes such as square, round, spiral, wavy... This type can be clearly seen through products such as: vases-jars-boxes, trays, dressing tables, kitchen shelves, wall paintings...

Lacquer decoration is always improved to create novelty in terms of modern art form, suitable for customer taste is also a plus for lacquer.

In terms of fine arts, in the early 2000s, many young artists began to continue to participate in creating paintings using lacquer, inspiring the revival of this material. Many artists regularly introduce their works through social networks and exhibitions.

In 2022, Binh Duong College of Fine Arts and Culture began to re-introduce lacquer materials into teaching, contributing to creating a generation of successors to restore the traditional local lacquer art.

Through many exhibitions in Binh Duong province, Ho Chi Minh City and nationwide, lacquer artists have won many awards. With a passion for lacquer art, many names are known to the public nationwide such as: Nguyen Tan Cong, Nguyen Quang Son, Hoang Van Cu, Huynh Duc Hieu, Nguyen Van Quy, Bui Van Thanh...

In addition, realizing that lacquer is a pure Vietnamese material with unique artistic value that needs to be preserved, the Binh Duong Lacquer Association has encouraged and supported businesses to start using this material in production, such as: Bui Van Thanh Lacquer Establishment, Dinh Hoa Lacquer Export Company...

With the traditional value of lacquer art, Thu Dau Mot City has built a project "Preserving and developing Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer craft village combined with tourism to both preserve and develop the craft village for tourists from all over to come and enjoy...

Quynh Nhu

Source: https://baobinhduong.vn/gin-giu-phat-huy-ban-sac-mot-lang-nghe-a335859.html