"Viewing" memories through sculpture

Sculptor Dinh Gia Thang introduces his work "Unity in the New Era" to delegates and visitors at the Da Nang Fine Arts Exhibition 2025. Photo: DUNG SON

These works attracted particular attention from visitors at the exhibition with their unique sculptural style and special messages.

The colors of sculpture span from the past to the present.

The artwork "Unity in the New Era," crafted by Dinh Gia Thang using white Yen Bai marble, embodies a contemporary artistic style blended with symbolic elements, reflecting current events with the idea of merging Quang Nam - a satellite city rich in historical and cultural traditions - and Da Nang - a modern core city, thereby forming a new, powerful Da Nang with expanded development space.

The details he depicted are vividly rendered: The image of the Da Nang and Quang Nam logos joined together symbolizes the launching pad that propels the large ship of Da Nang out to sea, entering a new era; the symbolic block evokes the image of an engine in a large machine, representing the comprehensive, close, and unified connection in all fields between the two localities. Particularly, the images on the two sides of the statue evoke the image of My Son Tower – a world cultural heritage site – and the Barringtonia tree – a tree that stands firm against storms.

The bronze sculpture "Spring of Peace" captures the historic moment of the great victory of Spring 1975, depicting the joyful reunion of the families of Liberation Army soldiers amidst the shared happiness of the nation.

The image of the Liberation Army soldier symbolizes both the protector and guardian of the country, as well as the pillar of support for the family. The artwork features a composition and visual language that blends modern and realistic styles with high symbolic value and emotionally rich visual effects, depicting the overwhelming joy of peace's return.

The artwork "Spring of Peace". Photo: DUNG SON

While the first two works speak of the country and homeland during momentous times, the remaining two focus on the beauty of women. The work "Champa Woman and Wooden Baby" depicts the traditional beauty of an ancient Apsara dancer who has returned to ordinary life to diligently raise her child. Nevertheless, the beauty of the Apsara dancer in the royal court still lingers, along with the happiness of being with her innocent child in the sacred space of Champa culture…

Meanwhile, "The Sound of Kieu's Lute" is a bronze sculpture that combines modern and traditional artistic styles; inspired by a verse from Nguyen Du's "The Tale of Kieu": "Where is the melody of the Han and Chu wars? / I hear the clash of iron and gold / Where is the melody of Sima's phoenix? / I hear it as resentment and sorrow, isn't it? / This is Ke Khang's Guangling melody / One is 'Flowing Water,' the other is 'Walking Clouds'." The work portrays an image in the sound of Kieu's lute that is both tragic and heroic, both soaring and romantic, in the scene where Thuy Kieu plays the lute for Kim Trong…

Preserving memories through sculpture.

Through his exhibited works, sculptor Dinh Gia Thang once again demonstrates his persistent selection and exploitation of materials in his creative journey, especially stone, linked to grand themes and a long-term creative mindset.

The preference for stone stems not only from its material properties but also reflects his artistic conception of durability, expressive weight, and the ability to preserve historical memory in sculpture. This has been demonstrated in many large-scale monuments, including two national-level works: the Monument to the Heroic Vietnamese Mother and the Legend of Truong Son.

He emphasized that the approach to monuments needs to be within an artistic whole connected to history and public space. In this context, the form should not merely be a recreation, but rather aim to condense the spirit of the era, so that each structure can become a lasting pillar of memory in social life.

Alongside his large-scale projects, Dinh Gia Thang devotes much of his passion to small-scale stone sculptures. His choice of softer marble with natural veins allows him to expand his expressive range and create flexibility in form. This flexible shift between large and small scale demonstrates his continuous exploration of material handling and imagery.

Sculptor Dinh Gia Thang presents his work "Spring of Peace" at the Da Nang Fine Arts Exhibition 2025. Photo: SON DUNG

In particular, in some of his smaller sculptures, his work shows unconventionality and flexible variations, bringing many surprises to the public.

But despite the diverse language expressed in his sculptures, the public can still sense his very own unique thought process. In terms of style, Dinh Gia Thang pursues a symbolic sculptural language, valuing the multidimensionality of form and the ability for visual interaction from multiple perspectives.

“For me, sculpture is first and foremost a responsibility to history and human memory. Every work, whether a monument or a standalone sculpture, must have a reason to exist, must convey the spirit of the era in which it lives. Artistic creation is not only serious labor, but also a trial by fire, where the artist is forced to confront themselves, find their limits, and overcome those limits,” sculptor Dinh Gia Thang expressed.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ngam-ky-uc-qua-dieu-khac-3318113.html