Ceramic exhibition about mascots by Tran Nam Tuoc

More than 30 ceramic sculptures such as lions, dragons, and fish are displayed in the exhibition "Today's sacred animals" by artisan Tran Nam Tuoc.

The event took place at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum from August 10 to 20, marking 32 years of Tran Nam Tuoc pursuing the ceramic profession and the theme of sacred animals. The author introduced most of the works he created during his career, with many images such as unicorns, horses, sacred chickens, and lions.

One of Tran Nam Tuoc's most favorite works is Linh Ke . The author said that based on the image of a mandarin duck, he added a comb to the chicken, naming it "Ke". The body is carved with peony flowers, different from the plain one he learned in ancient culture.

Ceramic exhibition about mascots by Tran Nam Tuoc — "Linh Ke" by Tran Nam Tuoc. Photo: *Phuong Linh*

According to the artist, the flexibility of ceramic material helps him create many shapes. The difficulty is how to make those works have soul, representing his own style and ability. He uses traditional glaze material, creatively transforming it with colors and shapes to suit the present time.

To create a product, the author goes through at least seven stages. First, he sketches the shape based on anecdotes and folk songs. Then, Tran Nam Tuoc draws the design, builds the shape, creates the mold, manufactures, adds color glaze, and finally fires it.

Tran Nam Tuoc has experienced special emotions with pottery. Sometimes, he bursts into joy when the product turns out as expected, but sometimes he fails when the pottery explodes or the glaze color is not as expected. He says this is a profession of "burning down the house" because it is not always possible to immediately complete a standard product.

When sculpting sacred animals, Tran Nam Tuoc does not care about right or wrong, beauty or ugliness. "I only make them so that people can see the national character in those products," the artist said.

He wants to bring the product closer to many generations of Vietnamese people, especially the young. The artist said that in the past, sacred animals were often placed in communal houses, temples, shrines, and pagodas with a rather scary and majestic appearance. But today, they have a more gentle and practical appearance. Tran Nam Tuoc was moved when he saw children, from toddlers to 2nd and 3rd graders, all enjoying looking at and even drawing according to sacred animals at the exhibition.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association Luong Xuan Doan commented that Tran Nam Tuoc's exhibition is "an excellent direction, demonstrating the heritage that continues to develop in vibrant contemporary life, as well as contemporary Vietnamese fine arts".

Mr. Luong Xuan Doan acknowledged the artist’s efforts and affirmed his talent in creating ceramic sculptures of sacred animals. Each formative language and glaze color were effectively handled by Tran Nam Tuoc, creating interesting visual elements for viewers, bringing them back to old values.

Tran Nam Tuoc's real name is Tran Xuan Trieu, 49 years old, grew up in the "rice homeland" of Thai Binh. He has been attached to Bat Trang ceramic village for 30 years. The process of growing up with rice fields, pagodas, temples, and shrines has formed in Tran Nam Tuoc a love for Vietnamese landscapes and architecture. That love is conveyed in his pure Vietnamese ceramic products.

In 1996, when he first came to Bat Trang, Tran Nam Tuoc worked as an assistant in the pottery kilns. Not a "family heir" or a person with formal training, Tran Nam Tuoc built his career from the experiences accumulated in the "school of life". In addition to his innate talent, he devoted all his heart to researching and learning about the pottery profession.

After 32 years in the profession, Tran Nam Tuoc has never put pressure on himself. He always considers himself a "newbie" and does not want to be anyone's teacher. Although he is the only person not born in Bat Trang to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan, Tran Nam Tuoc said he has never been complacent about this title. He believes that he may be excellent at pottery, but he is nothing in other professions, all will be shown through the products and the audience's evaluation.

Some of the outstanding products of artisan Tran Nam Tuoc include: The Lion and Dragon Set won the 2010 Thang Long Cup Outstanding Product Award, the Dragon Head was chosen as a gift for US President Barack Obama in 2016, and the Trung Hieu Mon door set won the first prize of the National Applied Fine Arts in 2019.

(According to vnexpress.net)

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