Le Huu Hieu and special exhibitions

Le Huu Hieu is the author of the only contemporary art exhibition present at Nguyen Hue walking street (Ho Chi Minh City) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day. This is just a part of the many works that he cherished to display in his special exhibitions.

Large-scale and elaborate works on the walking street

On the occasion of the April 30 anniversary, the exhibition "From Bach Dang victory to the great victory of April 30, 1975" including 27 large statues, 30 wooden stakes, 39 small statues placed on Nguyen Hue walking street attracted the attention of many viewers, not only because of the scale of the works, but also because of the way of expression and unique ideas as well as the message about history and national unity that the artist conveyed through them.

The works in the exhibition are all "giant" in size: 27 large statues ranging in height from 3.3m to 4.5m, weighing a total of 20 tons. The lacquer painting is 9.5m long and 4m high, consisting of 18 panels of 30 wooden stakes carved with the work "Hịch tướng sĩ", covered with lacquer on the outside. The Bach Dang stake group is from 5.6m to 9m high, weighing about 60 tons in total. The middle stake alone is 9.5m high and painted red. The Guardian God statue is 2m x 4m x 6.5m, weighing about 3 tons, made from materials such as ceramic, jackfruit wood, and lacquer resin...

Execution of work.

The exhibition is a collection of artist Le Huu Hieu's ideas, including ideas that have been "stored" for up to 10 years and are only now being used.

Le Huu Hieu said that in 2010, he had the opportunity to visit Bach Dang Stake Field in Quang Ninh and was very impressed. “At that moment, I thought I had to do something related to this image. However, at that time I couldn’t think of anything and ‘put away’ that idea, saving it for later,” the artist shared.

Bach Dang stakes have Chinese characters engraved on them.

Originally an architect, Le Huu Hieu often has ideas that last for long periods of time. In 2018, he started looking for materials to create Bach Dang stakes, after researching original stake samples from the original ironwood forest in Kinh Mon. However, to hold an exhibition according to international standards, the works are not allowed to use natural wood materials but must be planted wood.

To get the right wood sample for the stakes as desired, Le Huu Hieu had to spend 2 years, and for him, everything seemed to be arranged by chance. Once in Kinh Mon, Hai Duong, Hieu found a type of eucalyptus with curly leaves, fragrant, suitable for his requirements, but this type did not bring high economic efficiency so it was not widely planted.

In September 2024, he started logging and transporting wood out, but that was right at the time when Typhoon Yagi made landfall in the north.

“When the storm passed, I returned to the eucalyptus plantation and everything was devastated, nothing was left. Luckily, the amount of wood transported the day before was just enough,” Hieu recounted.

The giant statues made a strong impression at the exhibition.

Regarding the giant statue set with 27 large statues ranging in height from 3.3m to 4.5m and weighing a total of 20 tons, Le Huu Hieu had to order a mold specifically from an aluminum casting village in Nam Dinh. He said that this casting technique is based on the technology and many years of experience of the oldest craftsman in the village.

As for the Guardian God statue, it is not only a work carrying Le Huu Hieu's own messages and wishes, but also a concentration of the quintessence of traditional Vietnamese culture.

To make this statue, the artist and his team soaked jackfruit wood in mud, then sawed it open, burned it, and painted it shiny black with the idea of ​​symbolizing the organic yet steel-like strength of the Vietnamese people.

The exhibition also keeps visitors interested with historical information and annotations.

The 6m high statue is arranged without any specific human or divine shape, but has patterns and motifs reminiscent of guardian statues, diamonds or monuments, where Vietnamese people place their spiritual and religious beliefs.

The most impressive thing in the exhibition is the statue of an upside-down tank planted on a field of stakes. Le Huu Hieu said that the tank was made according to the prototype of the M24Chaffee tank that the US provided to France in 1953, and is currently located in Muong Thanh field, Dien Bien.

The exhibition has left a special impression on viewers. Images of the exhibition have continuously gone viral on many social media platforms. There are viewers who come to see it and then come back, bringing their whole family. Le Huu Hieu also said that the percentage of viewers staying at the exhibition is quite high, not just coming to take a few photos and then leaving.

Special exhibitions

The exhibition “From the Bach Dang Victory to the Great Victory of April 30, 1975” is just a part of the massive collection of works by Le Huu Hieu, some of which were displayed at Arsenale di Venezia 2021. He is also the first Asian artist invited by PDG Arte Communications to participate in the 60th Biennale Venezia. Biennale Venezia has a history of 129 years, is a grand exhibition, considered the “Olympics of fine arts”.

Some of the works on display at Biennale Venezia 2024 include an ancient jackfruit house from the North, 12 statues modeled after the tomb of King Khai Dinh, and five wooden cages symbolizing the five elements of “metal - wood - water - fire - earth”, covered with a layer of golden silk spun by silkworms and woven by themselves.

Previously, in 2017, he was invited to attend the 11th Florence Biennale at Fortezza da Basso - Florence. In October 2021, he held a solo exhibition called "Soul Energy" in Venice. The biggest common point of these exhibitions is the flow of Vietnamese culture throughout the works that he tells through the language of art and pure Vietnamese materials such as jackfruit wood, silk, raincoats, tree bark, ant wings...

Le Huu Hieu during the construction of the April 30 exhibition.

Currently, Le Huu Hieu is extremely busy with the most special exhibition of this year: the exhibition to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2.

He revealed that this will be an unprecedented exhibition, bringing unprecedented experiences to viewers, with cultural quintessence from north to south, with historical roots, years of fighting to defend the country, with Declarations of Independence from many historical periods...

The exhibition is scheduled to take place at the National Exhibition and Fair Center, Dong Anh, Hanoi.

National pride flows in Vietnamese blood

When talking about the works in his exhibition, Le Huu Hieu always admits that he had to do almost all the stages himself, from finding materials, designing, implementing, to exploring and rediscovering traditional materials that seemed to have been lost for a long time.

“Sometimes I feel like a handyman, because I know how to do everything, from carpentry, aluminum casting, silkworm farming, construction… If I don’t do it myself, it will be difficult to convey the spirit that I truly desire into my work” – Hieu affirmed.

To have these things, not only is it a passion for art, for creativity, a spirit of desire to conquer every idea that forms in one's mind, but also a love and national pride that always fills the artist's veins.

Exhibition "From Bach Dang victory to the great victory of April 30, 1975" seen from above.

It is not difficult to see that almost all of the materials used to create his works are purely Vietnamese, even traditional materials, such as ant wings, a type of folk adhesive that he has managed to restore and remake.

I always put remembrance, pride and gratitude in all my works.

Artist Le Huu Hieu

It is not difficult to see that a spirit of patriotism is strongly conveyed through the works placed in his exhibition, from the Bach Dang stake field with the upside-down tank to the Proclamation to the Generals and Soldiers...

“I want to express my gratitude to every historical period that the country has gone through, not just simply remembering each occasion. My family has an uncle who was a martyr, and both parents are war invalids, so I deeply understand the values ​​of today's peaceful life. I always put remembrance, pride and gratitude in all my works. I realize that people who understand history, love history, and understand the origins and ancient cultural values ​​will live better and value love and loyalty more,” Hieu shared.

Le Huu Hieu was born in 1982 in Nghi Xuan, Ha Tinh, currently living and working in Hanoi.

Solo exhibition "Mac" 2014 at Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

National Fine Arts Exhibition at the National Exhibition Center in 2015.

Attended Spectrum - Miami Art Fair 2016 and Contemporary Art Projects USA 2016 exhibition.

Solo exhibition "Soul Energy" in Italy 2021.

Trio Exhibition at Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts in 2017, participated in the 11th Florence Biennale at Fortezza da Basso - Florence, Italy in 2017.

LINH KHANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/le-huu-hieu-va-nhung-trien-lam-dac-biet-post883813.html