Tile style: Paper mosaic painting Mua Xuan Vung Cao (Mountainous Spring), above, by Hoang Thi Phuong Lien, and ceramic mosaic painting Cau Ca (Fishing), left, by Le Thiet Cuong.

HA NOI (VNS)  — Ha Noi-based artist Le Thiet Cuong has teamed up with female colleague Hoang Thi Phuong Lien from HCM City to open an exhibition in the capital, where for the first time, they are displaying ceramic and paper mosaics.

Since his first exhibition in 1991, Cuong has stuck to simple designs with large colourful spaces.

For this exhibition, his 15 works feature folk scenes and simple topics like flying kites, a church, a person reading a book and someone deep in thought. He likes to use vivid colours that he contrasts with one another.

"Cuong remains faithful to his style regardless of whether he is working on sculptures, ceramics or interior design," painter Trinh Tu told Viet Nam News.

"He has found elegant beauty in small pieces of glazed ceramic which sparkle under the lights to make this special collection."

Poet Doan Ngoc Thu said that Cuong's mosaics gather the "soul of the earth in ceramic and the literal meaning of folk stories with vivid colours and a breath of contemporary art within the body movements of experimental dance.

Artist Lien, who now works as a painter for The Education Publishers in HCM City, has specialised in paper mosaics for the past 20 years. For this exhibition, she has chosen to look at flowers, fruit, landscapes and mountainous markets.

"Paper mosaics require diligence," Lien said. "I choose the coloured paper then tear it into very small pieces and stick them onto a blank canvas without sketching an outline. That's why the pieces are quite emotional and often unique."

Painter Nguyen Trung noted that with her excellent skills and eye for aesthetics, coloured paper took on a new life and added a different dimension to Lien's work.

"Each painting is part of a giant jigsaw that makes up the exhibition, which is titled Ghep (Joining)," Cuong said.

The exhibition will run until December 24 at Gallery 39A Ly Quoc Su Street before moving to the Ly Club, 143 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3, HCM City in mid-February. — VNS