Meritorious Artist Tran Nam Tuoc:

The exhibition introduces works inspired by historical stories and traditional cultural values, with high applicability in the fields of construction, architecture, and artistic sculpture. Artisan Tran Nam Tuoc talks about the exhibition and his career journey.

- Although not born in a pottery village, artisan Tran Nam Tuoc has been attached to the profession for more than 25 years and has established a certain position. What chance brought him to pottery?

- I was born in a rice-growing region, and had a “fate” with earth and fire through handmade brick kilns. In 1993, I started making pottery in my hometown. Then, in 1997, I went to Bat Trang pottery village and here, I was like a fish from the river to the sea, freely creating, exploring , and experiencing with the earth. Then in 2007, I opened a production kiln.

When I first came to the pottery profession, I was just an assistant in the kilns. However, I found Bat Trang glaze very beautiful, with many styles of production. I learned and tried to play with fire. The days of wandering around the countryside, wandering in the fields, I only hoped to find for myself a pottery line called style. Since ancient times, in the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, the ancients used to decorate ceramic walls, curved roofs, pillars... and today, I design, decorate, and arrange to suit the projects under construction. I have been developing statues with the soul and spirit of the ancients to satisfy my profession and also to give those who love pottery and national history more choices in their collection.

- This is the third exhibition of artist Tran Nam Tuoc, after “Spirit of the Modern Age” (2023) and “Nam Tuoc - Soul of the Earth” (2024). Can you share the inspiration and main message of the exhibition “Nam Tuoc - Puzzle Pieces”?

- I consider myself a successor, a rewriter of old things and the more I do, the more passionate I am with the old ways. The exhibition is a journey to discover the harmonious combination between art and life through works created from many different materials and techniques that I have pursued for over 25 years.

As for the title of the exhibition, I think that each person is a piece of society, each profession, each experience has its own value. When those pieces are connected over many generations, they will gradually create heritage. From heritage, it will become culture and from culture, it will turn into history, into stories. When there is history, there are stories, each nation will have its own voice and position.

I want to share the belief that, no matter who you are or what you do, everyone can contribute to the common heritage. I am just a small piece in the flow of contemporary culture, but if many small pieces come together, we can create a harmonious, profound, and meaningful whole.

- Can you tell us more about the three parts of the exhibition?

- Here, I introduce 35 works, divided into three parts. Part 1 includes traditional sculptural and decorative shapes made of ceramic and terracotta materials such as knife corners, pliers, and large-sized bronze lanterns. These artifacts are designed to be suitable for application in contemporary cultural works, from ceramic wall tiles, reliefs to multi-colored enamel paintings with themes of folk tales and legends. In particular, the works of faucets and ventilation doors in this part have been applied in works for over 25 years.

Part 2 is wood carvings, typically the work "The Four Great Chickens (o ó oo)" or the "12-panel Trung Hieu Mon" door set - which won the First Prize at the National Applied Arts Exhibition in 2019. These works are expressed using the chiseling technique, combined with traditional tam lam or lacquer colors. Part 3, for the first time, I introduce hand-drawn drawings, which are design documents that I have applied to many real projects for more than two decades, so that everyone can better understand my career journey.

- You often mention the point of view: "What needs to be preserved must be preserved conservatively. What does not need to be preserved, we should give it a new life." Can you share more clearly?

- In my opinion, the value of the heritage that our ancestors left behind, both in terms of material and spiritual aspects, must be preserved and conserved intact. As for those who work in creative activities, they need to approach heritage with a development mindset. Heritage is the past, but it is that past that is the material for us to create the present and the future. I choose to do applied fine arts in construction and architecture from that perspective, preserving the soul of traditional heritage, but expressing it in a new visual language, modern techniques, suitable for contemporary spaces. Thus, heritage is not forgotten but its value is promoted in today's life.

- What do you want to convey through the exhibition "Baron - Puzzle Pieces"?

- With the pottery profession, I went from being an outsider to someone who is deeply attached to the profession, wishing to contribute my small part to this field. Through this exhibition, I want to share my career journey, and at the same time, I hope to connect with my colleagues and especially the younger generation.

I hope that young people will see themselves as part of the contemporary cultural flow. Each person is a “piece” and it is the new, creative, and daring pieces that will make the picture of Vietnamese culture richer and more vibrant.

- Sincerely thank Meritorious Artist Tran Nam Tuoc!

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nghe-nhan-uu-tu-tran-nam-tuoc-qua-khu-la-chat-lieu-de-ta-tao-nen-hien-tai-va-tuong-lai-712126.html