From May 22 to 26, at the exhibition building located at No. 29 Hang Bai, Hanoi, the painter group 33A will hold the exhibition “Shadow of Heritage” within the long-term project “Awaken Heritage” of the group across the country.
The work of painter Chu Cuong.
The group’s first destination is Cuu village, Van Tu commune, Phu Xuyen, Hanoi. The exhibition displays more than 50 works of 9 painters: Duong Tuan, Bui Van Tuat, Chu Viet Cuong, Minh Dong, Can Manh Tuong, Dat Phu, Tuan Dat, Nguyen The Long and Nguyen Minh “pho”.
According to the Organizing Committee, the colorful paintings have demonstrated the beauty of the village and moved viewers by preserving the spirit of the heritage but promoting contemporary style.
In order to produce the works, the group had to visit the field and live with Cuu villagers. The painters walked around the village, saw and enjoyed the ancient “heritage” as called by the painters. The painters lived like the real villagers in such unique and sole Vietnamese and French architecture.
The work of painter Manh Tuong.
Most of the villagers are the elderly and children. Few people are traveling on the street, not as crowded and vibrant as some other old villages. The quiet mossy walls and roofs nestle behind the silent gates. According to painter group 33A, although Cuu village is famous, the atmosphere in the village is very quiet and peaceful. This garment village was formed in the period of French colonial control by the No. 1 skillful craftsmen in ancient Hanoi. Thanks to their craftmanship, Cuu villagers had a good financial condition and built the most magnificent and beautiful villas in the countryside of the Northern Delta at that time, but many of them moved to other places all over the country. Therefore, now there are few residents in the ancient villas there.
After coming to the village, Painter Duong Tuan always wonders what if the village, the gates, the ancient mossy walls completely disappear one day. So, his group decided to save this “Shadow of Heritage” through painting and name the exhibition in the same way. In his opinion, what remains over years is culture. Culture is the flow that contains historical periods and reflects the life, soul, social conception, and so on.
According to painter Nguyen Minh (Minh Pho), the ancient heritages must be respected and preserved. From art perspective, however, the heritages are the materials for artists to create new works. The artists should bring into the works a contemporary style and a new mindset without distorting or destroying the spirit and value of the heritage; otherwise, the painting style will never be “outside the box”. In addition to creating novel and contemporary things, painters still have to “show” their own styles and characteristics that have made his reputation.
Through the exhibition, group 33A wishes to convey a message to the public: Is the Shadow of Heritage only tangible and intangible traces of a period, a cultural region that has been forgotten, or is it the flow of a sustainable and long-lasting culture that has permeated through each of us?
Thanh Hang