The Dòng chảy sơn mài exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City brings together 20 artists exploring women, traditional work and urban memory through lacquer painting. Open from October 10 to November 10, it also offers insights into the patient processes behind the finished images.
Đinh Thu Hà's Mộng liên hoa contrasts the green of an áo dài and lotus leaves with a golden background. The classical composition belongs to a body of work combining realism and romantic elements to explore women's inner lives.
Patience shapes the portraits
Hà continues that interest in Tự tình dưới trăng, while Nhuộm chàm turns towards a traditional craft. She describes lacquer work as a repeated process of applying and polishing layers, with materials requiring careful handling.
Olivia Mai uses realism to depict young women studying ballet or playing the piano. A circular frame gives Vẻ đẹp Á Đông a softer form. After around six years working with lacquer, the fashion executive says painting has taught her to slow down and accept starting again when necessary.
Colour and architecture widen the themes
Trần Văn Có explores a varied palette in Khúc thụy du, valuing the medium's range of tones and room for new techniques. Lê Trọng Hoàng draws on philosophy and religion in Ứng.
Other artists turn to the city. Nguyễn Thị Kim Tú depicts the historic Mống Bridge in Bóng thời gian, while Dương Thị Thúy Hiền's three-part Sài Gòn nhớ focuses on Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Together, the works show different routes through one medium, from gestures and clothing to familiar architecture. The artists' accounts add another dimension: months of layering, adjustment and waiting contribute to the final appearance.