Visual artist Do Hiep: Butterfly soul dreams of fairies

Do Hiep is the type of person who, once met, is very hard to forget, because he is so… dazzling. I still remember the first time I met him, Hiep was wearing blue reflective glasses, green pants, bright blue shoes, and a colorful shirt.

Born in 1984, Do Hiep is an active visual artist, working with many different materials to serve creative ideas.

His works are often full of personality, with bright, cheerful colors, looking both innocent and very contemporary.

This November, he introduced his latest work at the Art In The Forest (AIF) exhibition to celebrate 10 years of his artistic journey in the pine forest.

A wanderer in the mortal world

Do Hiep is the type of person who, once met, is very hard to forget, because he is so… dazzling. I still remember the first time I met him, Hiep was wearing blue reflective glasses, green pants, bright blue shoes, and a colorful patterned shirt.

Even his car was bright orange, like a portable Fanta can. Hiep had his head in his hands, a smile on his face, always leisurely and relaxed.

Even his voice was languid and gentle, with a slow enunciation as if there was no rush in the world. While waiting for the installation, Hiep lay comfortably under the green pine canopy and slept soundly like a child.

Like the author himself, the work he brought to the Art In The Forest exhibition this time stands out among the brown color of the pine forest.

It was a statue that was 1.3 meters tall and 3.6 meters wide, with a curvaceous butt, full breasts, and long, rainbow-colored wings. The statue looked both… provocative and humorous, mischievous, just like the personality of its creator.

Hiep shared that the work is part of his creative flow associated with the image of fairies - a beautiful obsession from his childhood. The opportunity began many years ago, when Hiep was still a boy, his father took him to the Museum of Fine Arts on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.

The father, who was also an artist, was engrossed in admiring the works of art, leaving his son wandering alone in the old French house.

The quiet space, the creaking wooden stairs, the massive statues looming in the dim light, all of it made Hiep panic.

Until Hiep's footsteps brought him to a statue of a fairy with flying wings, Hiep was able to escape his fear, only feeling amazed: How beautiful and gentle is the fairy!

Growing up, Hiep again encountered the image of fairies on the pillars, rafters, rafters, and beams in all the communal houses he had the opportunity to visit. “The elders carved everything on there, that is life, that is joy, that is music , that is love, that is society. The image of fairies is something that always escapes from all the stories there. Whether it is the mundane or the happy or sad, the angry or sad, there are images of fairies flying up, fairies picking flowers,…very beautiful,” Do Hiep recalls.

Hiep commented that the image of Vietnamese fairies is a culture that is not mixed or tinged with mystery like fairies in Chinese culture. Fairies in Vietnam are still very worldly, still wearing messy clothes, wearing colorful scarves, dancing ancient dances, and spreading their colorful wings. "At the communal house, the carvers are all village craftsmen, they chisel spontaneously, so everything is very simple and everyday."

The communal house is a sacred space, but the image of the fairies there is very liberal, free, and beyond the bounds of conventional etiquette. This is what inspired Hiep to create a series of works about winged people.

“Wings symbolize things that are airy, light, things that are longed for and desired. In times of joy or sadness, those wings can help us escape from this place or that place. I emphasize this work with wide wings, like a new horizon. People can interact with it, sit on it, stretch out their arms and try to measure themselves against that horizon to see what their emotions would be like in another place, another position,” Do Hiep shared.

The work is crafted from shiny, seven-color plated stainless steel with the main purple-pink color, becoming a cheerful highlight in the Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum (FCAM) ​​campus.

When the soul is given wings by art

Being included in Art In The Forest this year makes Hiep excited: “The number 10 is a very beautiful number. I feel happy to be able to accompany teachers and seniors in this exhibition. This is also an opportunity for me to bring my work to a new space, and a challenge that brings many new emotions.”

Do Hiep's work is displayed in the middle of a pine forest. (Photo: Flamingo)

“Somewhere else” is located in the middle of Dai Lai pine forest, not far from there are works by sculptors Le Thi Hien, Hoang Mai Thiep, Pham Dinh Tien... Each has a unique style and color, bringing many interesting surprises to visitors walking under the green pine canopy.

Do Hiep highly appreciated the role of Art In The Forest and Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum for Vietnamese fine arts: “The birth of Art In The Forest created a huge change. People look at Art In The Forest and also wish to have spaces like that. There is a passion, an investment and a great awareness of community art here. Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum is a very attractive destination at the present time and I hope in the future there will be more models like Art In The Forest.”

Hiep added that the Flamingo Museum of Contemporary Art is still his first choice when introducing Vietnamese sculpture to international friends. Now, his works contribute to making FCAM's collection increasingly rich and diverse.

In the open space of the pine forest, “Somewhere Elsewhere” is not only a visual stop, but also an invitation to step into the viewer’s own imaginary world . There, the brilliant wings seem to take us back to a pure memory, at the same time posing a new possibility for art: art can be both playful and profound; both have a folk breath and blend with the contemporary beat.

In the journey of Art In The Forest’s 10th anniversary, the presence of Do Hiep, with his youthful energy, free spirit and unique perspective, is like a colorful piece that complements the overall picture. And who knows, from those wings, each guest when leaving the pine forest will bring with them a little lightness, a little joy, a little desire to be “somewhere else” - where the soul can escape and fly high.

Art In The Forest (AIF) is a visual art program initiated by Flamingo Holdings in 2015 with the desire to bring art out of traditional exhibition spaces, to blend with nature and get closer to the public.

The project has been honored many times by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the Top 5 typical national art events, and has contributed to Flamingo Dai Lai Resort being recognized by the Vietnam Record Organization as "The resort with the largest lakeside art space in Vietnam."
In 2020, AIF entered a new phase, Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum (FCAM) ​​- the first contemporary art museum in Vietnam was launched, gathering more than 120 works of many genres.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the journey (2015-2025), on November 29, FCAM will organize a special exhibition, introducing a new collection of 8 large sculptures by 8 representative artists, continuing to affirm the pioneering role of Flamingo Holdings in developing Vietnamese contemporary art.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nghe-sy-thi-giac-do-hiep-hon-buom-mo-tien-post1078919.vnp