From Bach Dang stakes to the triumphant spring

Rained with heroism, soaked in historical sunshine

The exhibition of sculptures and installations with the theme From Bach Dang victory to the great victory of April 30, 1975 by artist Le Huu Hieu is taking place at Nguyen Hue walking street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). The exhibition includes 27 statues, 3.3-4.5m high; a lacquer painting set 9.5m long, 4m high (including 18 panels combined) and especially 30 wooden stakes engraved with the poem "Hịch tướng sĩ" (Proclamation to Soldiers) by Tran Quoc Tuan, covered with lacquer on the outside, the stakes are 5.6-9m high, with a total weight of about 60 tons.

Display cluster, arrangement of wooden stakes engraved with the Proclamation of Generals and Soldiers at Nguyen Hue walking street (District 1, HCMC)

According to curator Do Tu Anh: “This is the first time an installation sculpture by an author on such a large scale has been performed in public. With this work of art, artist Le Huu Hieu wishes to bring the world ’s classical great artistic thinking and plant it on the fertile soil of national materials, watered by heroic rainwater, soaked in the sunshine of national history.”

In the Bach Dang project, a legendary character that attracts many viewers is the Guardian God, a concept that the artist drew from the ancient polytheistic beliefs of the Vietnamese people. The Guardian God statue is made from jackfruit wood soaked in mud, then split, burned and painted shiny black, symbolizing the organic yet iron-like strength of the Vietnamese people.

Using simple materials, with the “skeleton” of the statue completely exposed, combined with sophisticated carvings, Le Huu Hieu depicts a very unique view of the Vietnamese people towards the gods: familiar, sacred, and simple. “I present a character, not a specific god, this character represents the aspiration and dear desire of the Vietnamese people to be nurtured and protected by Heaven and Earth; to live in peace , tranquility, and to be protected from all evils, whether caused by the weather or by hostile forces,” artist Huu Hieu shared.

"Gold mine" of national history

Sculpture and installation are art forms that help viewers interact more deeply with the work. Artistic ideas are projected in 3D space, similar to our living space, helping viewers to let their imaginations flow into the artist's story. With the sculpture - installation From Bach Dang victory to the great victory of April 30, 1975, the audience's feelings are raised to a higher level, because of the massive scale and size of the work. "This is the first time I have seen an outdoor exhibition with such tall and large works, the works tell about the history of our country, making me feel proud and admire the generation of our ancestors who built and defended the country for thousands of years", Nguyen Trong Phan (29 years old, sales staff, living in Binh Thanh district) expressed.

It took more than 2 years to complete the work, artist Huu Hieu shared: “The dream of a work related to Bach Dang stakes appeared in me more than 10 years ago. I was impressed when I first saw the real Bach Dang stakes, I immediately thought that this was a work of art. During a long process, I searched for many options, how to turn the stakes into a work of art. I wanted a work that could encompass the entire historical process, the most profound marks, and the origin must be from Bach Dang, from the endless source of strength that our ancestors left behind.”

Le Huu Hieu (born in 1982) - is the first Asian artist invited by PDG Arte Communications (a unit specializing in organizing art exhibitions based in Italy) to participate in the 60th Biennale Venezia exhibition - 2024 in Italy. Exploring , researching and handling materials are his strengths, through a new approach, which can be called a blend of modern art and contemporary art, the artist wants the audience to feel the new vitality, the new things that are changing every day in the country.

Painter Huu Hieu expressed: “For me personally, no matter what I do, the origin and original values ​​that my ancestors left behind are the foundation for building myself. Everything I do, even if it may be academic from the West or any other culture, the material and content hidden deep inside is always the identity and echoes of Vietnamese culture. Our ancestors left behind a treasure trove of cultural values, I feel so lucky because I am sitting on a giant gold mine to exploit, to research and create works for future generations.”

BLUE

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tu-coc-bach-dang-den-mua-xuan-khai-hoan-post791823.html