Evocative: Su Song (Life) by Cong Quoc Thang   Rustic look: Nang Vang (Yellow Sunlight) by Ha Anh Tuan

HA NOI – Three emerging Vietnamese artists have had their work featured in a lacquer painting exhibition held by the South Korean Cultural Centre in Ha Noi.

Around 30 lacquer paintings by artists Ha Anh Tuan, Chu Viet Cuong and Cong Quoc Thang will be featured and focus on natural landscapes and people in the exhibition entitled Three Small, Way the Big Way.

It is the first exhibition for all three artists who are passionate about traditional Vietnamese lacquer craft.

Ha Anh Tuan, the oldest of the three, was born and raised in Ha Noi and studied lacquer by himself and most of his paintings focus on rural vistas.

"The countryside is not a new theme in the fine art, but I want to explore the theme in my own way," Tuan said.

"Unlike oil painting, lacquer needs to be made manually, which requires lots of time, effort and skill."

His lacquer paintings include images of bamboo leaves, clusters of bananas, small lanes and village gates which have become symbols of the Vietnamese countryside.

The painting's warm orange coloured landscapes captured the magical scenery of the northern countryside, said artist Bang Lam.

Both Chu Viet Cuong and Cong Quoc Thang graduated from the Ha Noi Fine Arts College and Thang's Cau Chuyen Cua Toi (My Story) painting is one of the most iconic images in the exhibition.

Born in 1986, Thang is the youngest artist and has pursued lacquer work for many years, including using lacquer materials for his graduate work which received the highest score of the year.

His work has been displayed at the Viet Nam contemporary fine arts festival in Sweden, which was held by the Hanoi Asian House in 2005.

The painting My Story is 60cm tall and 120cm wide and features unicorn dancing which is a very popular style of dancing. "I want to recall my childhood memory – my house is in one of Ha Noi's old quarter streets, where I could see unicorn dancing at the full-moon and mid-autumn festivals," Thang said.

"Many Vietnamese artists feature unicorn dancing in their work but I hope it will be a theme throughout my career."

Artist Cuong uses a refined technique of lacquer art depicting delicate light in his paintings, many of which capture relaxing rural scenes of heaped yellow straw and green bamboo trees.

Cuong's paintings have been exhibited at events in the capital and throughout the country.

The lacquer painting exhibition was important because very few artists still followed the traditional Vietnamese technique of lacquer painting, said artist Bang Lam.

"Each of the three has a different way of reaching a common goal of furthering Vietnamese fine arts," he said.

"Traditional Vietnamese lacquer work is a very sophisticated art - it will be globally acclaimed in 10-20 years time," said Keum Gi-hyung, director of the South Korean Cultural Centre.

The exhibition will run until next Friday at 49 Nguyen Du Street, Ha Noi. — VNS