Sacred animal statues imbued with Bat Trang ceramic art on display

An exhibition of art ceramics entitled "Sacred Animals of Modern Times" by Bat Trang's Meritorious Artisan Tran Nam Tuoc has opened at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi, featuring more than 30 sets of ceramic sculptures on the theme of sacred animals, such as horse, kylin, dragon, carp turning into dragon, and phoenix.

The works show the combination of visual elements of painting, and the language of sculpture, inheriting the quintessence of traditional Bat Trang ceramics with Tuoc's new inventions in glaze colors and shapes.

Visitors at the exhibition. Photo courtesy of the artist

Painter Luong Xuan Doan, President of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, said Tuoc had brought ceramic sculptures to the public with a unique style deeply rooted in the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people.
He added that Tuoc had created modern ceramic works with high aesthetic value, containing meaningful messages about Vietnamese cultural tradition and history through images of sacred animals.
"With his talent, artist Tuoc has created many valuable ceramic sculptures and contributed to the diversified development of Vietnam's contemporary art," Doan said.

According to Doan, Tuoc has succeeded in preserving the cultural values imbued with the Vietnamese spirit in his works. With the artist's creative efforts to inherit, preserve and promote cultural heritage, Tuoc has written a new history of Vietnamese ceramic art.

Meritorious artist Tran Nam Tuoc (whose birth name is Tran Xuan Trieu) was born in 1974 in the northern province of Thai Binh. He is the only person awarded the title of Meritorious Artist of Bat Trang Ceramic Art, although he was not born in Bat Trang Village, Hanoi.

Starting his career in 1996 as a helper in a pottery kiln, Tuoc has been constantly researching, experimenting and realizing the value of Bat Trang ceramic glaze.

With his own ceramic thinking, he has created seemingly simple but excellent enamel lines using simple input production materials.

Tuoc's works have created a personal touch, recreating the quintessence of the craft village, and are always appreciated by the leading experts in the industry.

The exhibition is open until August 20 at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.

Below are some of the artworks on display:

A lion made by artisan Tran Nam Tuoc.

A mythological animal made by Tran Nam Tuoc.

Phoenix made by Tran Nam Tuoc.