In previous years , artisan Nguyen Tan Phat made a strong impression with his excellent "herding" technique of 1010 buffaloes , or " raising " a herd of 2022 tigers . Will this year be the " dance " of 2023 cats , sir ?
- Yes, my collection of cat lacquer sculptures this year has 2023 cats, corresponding to the number of years. Each statue has its own story, its own life, and those products have become works of art. Through the collection, I want to send a message of honoring creativity, because only creativity can help promote the value in each person.
Why do you have such a fixed number of works ?
- Sometimes people wonder why there is a limit to the quantity of art. My perspective on art is that I want handmade art to somehow be easily accessible to the lives of Vietnamese people. To do that, the artist must create something unusual. The large number of works that are meaningful for the new year is the unusual thing I create. Because, I affirm, to create 2023 works, each of which is unique and meticulously handmade every year, is something that very few artists can do.
I also do not make more than 2023 works because limiting the quantity like that is my way of showing respect to customers and collectors. Although each of my works is unique, limiting the quantity will increase the value and affirm that it is a work and not a purely handmade product.
In addition, I want to spend more time on other plans such as exhibitions, taking care of the lacquer art space on the 65th floor of Lotte Hanoi building... In 2023, I want to spend more time promoting and introducing Vietnamese handicrafts to international friends.
With this year 's massive cat sculpture , did you encounter any difficulties while creating it ?
- Cats are very close and familiar animals in modern life as well as in Vietnamese folklore, so I did not have any difficulty in finding a topic. However, for an artist like me, the difficulty here is to create something new for the collection so that it is not stereotyped or similar to previous collections in terms of style, method of making, layout...
So what is the highlight of this year 's cat collection , sir ?
- My cat collection this year is closely linked to Vietnamese folklore. Each work will contain a folk tale related to the image of a cat, a painting of a cat such as: the mouse wedding, returning home in glory to pay respect to ancestors, the kitten's Tet, putting a bell on a cat...
The highlight of this year's collection is the "spring party" table and chair set consisting of 7 cat chairs and 1 fish table with the strong influence of Dong Ho folk paintings, conveying solidarity and hopes for a prosperous and happy life for Vietnamese people in the new year...
The table and chair set conveys the message: In the year of the Cat, with the intelligent, flexible and agile characteristics of cats, it also represents the spirit of the Vietnamese people, when overcoming many difficulties and challenges, they will finally have a victory party.
On the back of each chair, I created wood sculptures by remixing the layout of folk paintings such as: the Mouse Wedding painting remixed into a circular layout or the painting of a boy hugging a cat, a boy herding buffalo and flying a kite... Those paintings are the highlights filled with Vietnamese folk culture that I preserve through my works in a new, more familiar way.
This is a set of chairs that I put a lot of emotion, passion, love for my homeland and country into, made in exactly 1 year, unique, not reprinted, priced at about 1 billion VND.
His " spring party " cat table and chair set is not only massive , but also beautifully delicate . Each chair has a different color , style , and pattern , and in the middle is a Dong Ho folk painting . The impression is meticulously carved in lacquer , really making people want to bring it home as their own . Not only the chair set , it seems that your cat statues are not only for display but also have a function ?
- Just like previous collections, I always maximize and put the functionality into my cat art statues. For example, attaching bells, making night lights, burning incense, fruit trays, flower vases, etc.
I want to convey vivid stories about Vietnamese culture in my products. I always try to bring the village gate, bell tower, ancient patterns, etc. to life in my works. I always choose to emphasize the culture of my homeland, the Doai region, as a way of expressing gratitude. Perhaps that is why my lacquer sculptures are said to carry the breath of the Vietnamese countryside.
Each of his lacquer sculptures contains so much passion and effort , I wonder if the price is a barrier when approaching customers ?
- Currently, my customer base is quite diverse. I have customers who come to collect and some others who buy to decorate their homes. My works always meet the requirements of customers because they are unique, compact, easy to transport and have functionality. Most notably, they carry the Vietnamese cultural identity, so the commercial value is highly appreciated.
Because I am a skilled craftsman, the production cost has been reduced to the maximum. In addition to the "Spring Party" table and chair set, other works are priced from only a few million to a few tens of million VND, not too picky about customers. Many collectors and artists even think that the price for such a lacquer sculpture is incredibly low.
To create a lacquer sculpture , as he said , it takes at least a month to " come to life " because it has to go through dozens of stages , from coming up with an idea , to carving and shaping the wooden block , then covering it with dozens of layers of paint , polishing , mother - of - pearl inlay , painting to create the background , etc. With such a difficult job , why do you still persevere and work tirelessly with traditional lacquer ?
- Since childhood, I was lucky to follow my grandfather and father to temples, pagodas, and pagodas. I love the art of sculpture and pure Vietnamese patterns. I paint anytime, anywhere. When I grew up, I studied at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts and then fell in love with traditional lacquer. When working in handicrafts, each person will choose their own path. From the beginning, I chose to stick with traditional handicrafts. Each work always contains good meanings for the community. Therefore, I persevere with the manual method and respect creativity. When combining lacquer with environmentally friendly materials such as wood, laterite, and bamboo, I always find ways to make my works both aesthetically pleasing, functional, and durable, without placing too much emphasis on economic value.
Pursuing a unique and creative approach to handicrafts and major national events is always arduous and not as profitable as mass production. But in return, my "children" have a faster and more sustainable spread to the community. That is also the way I bring handicrafts and lacquer art to the international arena faster.
When combining lacquer with different materials, it will create richness in style and diversity in materials, creating visual effects for viewers. However, in the process, there are many successes and many failures. However, I am proud that I am a person who dares to take risks, dares to experiment, dares to accept failure, so I have gained a lot of experience in developing new products and my creativity is never exhausted.
Finding your own direction is always difficult . How did you bring lacquer to sculpture ? And how did you make the sculpture become an attractive product ?
- From the concept of "art is born to serve people", I just keep doing and gaining experience, through time and perseverance, success in applying lacquer to wood also comes. In the process of testing and making products, the most difficult stage belongs to the sculpting process and the most meticulous stage belongs to the lacquering. Applying lacquer to statues is much more difficult than when working on a flat painting surface. Wooden statues have different high and low, concave and convex surfaces, which will more or less hinder the lacquering process. Therefore, if the artist is not skillful, when sanding, it is easy to touch the core of the product.
To successfully bring lacquer to wood carving as it is today requires perseverance, talent and dedication of the artisan. The artistic element is always put first, but besides that, I also determine that art and life must exist in parallel.
I choose to make art for living and to make art academically. There still needs to be a strong artistic quality in the product so that when completed, it will bring depth, and the products will be practical to serve people. Through my products, I hope users will see the value of lacquer when applied to sculptures has been multiplied many times.
It is known that every year you participate in many competitions for creating handicraft products , souvenirs and often win many high prizes . How meaningful are those competitions to you personally ?
- I will probably participate in art design competitions until I can no longer create. Because that not only helps me to position my creativity in society but also motivates me to create more.
Design competitions and art exhibitions will help promote creative arts and encourage artists and painters to work hard and be creative to create new works and products to serve life. I think that competitions should be held periodically and more frequently.
It is known that you keep all the works that won prizes in competitions and exhibitions and do not sell them , so surely you will have a huge gallery ?
- The space to display award-winning products and certificates at Duong Lam Ancient Village is no longer enough. For an artist, quiet moments for oneself are very precious. I often sit back and look back at my achievements and accomplishments over the past 20 years to encourage myself to work harder and develop more of my abilities and creativity in life.
The space for displaying my works is also my free vocational training class, bringing the lacquer craft to many people, and more importantly, it opens up aesthetic perspectives for everyone. Up to now, many people have become my effective assistants.
As a painter , artisan and businessman , during the recent Covid - 19 pandemic , his Dola Vietnam Co. , Ltd. was How does the photo look like ?
- I am a designer, an artisan, the company model I opened is only to ensure legal status, not to operate in the field of mass production.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on the export and souvenir business serving foreign tourists in the country, almost freezing. But in times of need, wisdom is born. After half a year of struggling and finding a new path, fortunately I have a profession in hand, and have been properly educated at the Fine Arts School, so I have proactively promoted the creation of lacquer sculptures of zodiac animals to serve the Vietnamese people.
It can be said that the past 3 years of Covid-19 have been 3 years of my "sublimation" in creativity and quite successful in the field of making lacquer sculptures. I have created my own path in this genre. I think this can be a very pleasing way of doing things. My works carry the breath of the Vietnamese people, have folk elements, have stories that evoke the pride of the Vietnamese people. In addition to aesthetic values, there is also functionality. And more importantly, it helps spread traditional values, so it has entered the lives of Vietnamese people very quickly.
As you said , it seems that Covid-19 has helped artisan Nguyen Tan Phat get a piece of the domestic market share ?
- Covid-19 has made me and many artisans and artists realize that we are engrossed in the export market and forget about the potential domestic market of 100 million people. Over the past 3 years, I have seen that the lives of Vietnamese people have improved a lot. The thinking, aesthetic taste, and artistic background of everyone are also very good. Therefore, when we produce products that meet all the factors of aesthetics, utility value, and spiritual value, they are willing to spend money.
One of the factors that helped me achieve the above successes is because my works follow the flow of contemporary applied art. In the past, works of art were defined as being for viewing, not for application. However, I always put application into my works. The products I make must have application. I am fortunate to work in both the roles of painter and artisan, so I am always proactive in facing many challenges. The most important thing is to take charge of my own work and find my own direction for development.
Perhaps that is why the souvenir products of artisan Nguyen Tan Phat are not only available at major agents in tourist areas across the country , but are also sold on e - commerce sites across the country . Orders are regularly exported to famous and demanding markets such as France , Italy , Spain , the US , Germany ... How did you promote and market your products to bring your handicraft products to the world ?
- I spend about 18 hours a day working. I sleep very little and have no time to travel . In return, when I create satisfactory products, people will introduce them to each other and my "children" will quickly spread. I am fortunate to have many friends in the media, artists, artisans, and foreigners living and working in Vietnam who spread the word. Thanks to that, I can connect with foreign partners and customers.
According to you , what do we need to do to stimulate and motivate creativity for artists and artisans ?
- This is extremely important. In my opinion, first of all, each artist and artisan must dare to sacrifice for their profession. That is, they must always research, dare to experiment to produce new works and products, must accept risks, failures, dare to discard defective and damaged products, and waste both time and material value. I also have many works that I made only to put away or even... to ruin. But nowadays, there are not many people who dare to sacrifice for their profession like that.
New creations will produce surprising products. For example, not all mother-of-pearl inlays or glittering gold plating are popular, even discarded driftwood, if well designed, will become a product that many people love. Here I want to talk about 3 creative factors: Creativity in design, creativity in making and creativity in flexible application in life.
From the government’s perspective, I see that there is still a lack of policies, regimes, and incentive programs for those who are willing to sacrifice for their profession. Although many ministries, departments, and sectors have organized design competitions, exhibitions, and creations of gifts, souvenirs, and handicrafts, they are only for the sake of movement. High-prize winning works that are not ordered for production are meaningless.
Meanwhile, the demand for gifts from government agencies is very high, but the award-winning works are not noticed. That means that artists and artisans have no motivation to create. They only need to follow orders to not run out of work, even with high profits and no risk. Invisibly, Vietnam's talents are drained. In particular, the problem of stealing product samples is very common and difficult, but no one solves it. Therefore, for many years, Vietnam's traditional handicrafts have a lot of potential, but there has been no breakthrough.
In addition, many traditional crafts are gradually disappearing. The State needs to open vocational training classes where talented artisans with real abilities will guide them to create a team of designers and skilled workers. For example, Hanoi has joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, but our capital still does not have a creative center for young people to both demonstrate their creativity and learn from the skilled artisans and workers who have gone before.
More importantly, the state needs to have a long-term plan for developing traditional craft villages and handicrafts. I emphasize the long-term factor because, in my personal observation, we are suffering from the "disease" of term-based thinking, so many projects are unfinished.
In this special art space we are sitting in is also your free vocational class . What do you hope to achieve through this meaningful activity ?
- With the philosophy of working for the community, in addition to pursuing my passion, I always develop the profession combined with passing on the profession. I hope to help the younger generations who want to learn the profession to understand how to make lacquer, the history of lacquer, through which people will understand and love the culture and life of the Vietnamese people more, to appreciate and cherish the traditional craft of their ancestors. At the same time, I will do a better job of promoting and preserving the precious assets of the nation.
In 2018, I opened a lacquer class for art lovers who want to develop the craft. Currently, I also teach some local people completely free of charge.
As for the free vocational training for the people of Duong Lam ancient village, I hope to work with the villagers to preserve the ancient craft village, so that tourists coming here have a place to visit, learn about lacquer carving, or experience it directly. The vocational training has reached many people, but it is difficult to keep them staying and persistently pursuing the lacquer craft. In the future, I hope to receive support from the locality, so that free vocational training and learning can be promoted, contributing to preserving the traditional craft village.
I also hope to receive support from the government and management agencies in linking with travel companies to build destinations and form craft village tours in Son Tay. Because developing tourism means boosting the economy, creating more jobs for local people and supporting vocational training. And who knows, maybe in the future, Son Tay will also be famous for its mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer craft villages.
Rarely is there an artist or craftsman who has just turned 40 years old and has affirmed his name , position and a unique path like Nguyen Tan Phat . What is your biggest wish now ?
- My greatest desire is to bring traditional Vietnamese handicrafts to all five continents. I always have a burning desire to not only develop myself and my business, but also support artisans in craft villages to design and create beautiful, unique, and distinctive products to dominate the world souvenir market.
With 20 years of experience, my greatest achievement up to now is not the material value or quantity of works, but I have contributed to introducing the quintessence of handicrafts, cultural values, and fine traditions of the Vietnamese people to a large number of domestic and international customers.
Thanks for the chat.
Source
Comment (0)