“Sen Soul” – artist Ngo Ba Hoang tells the story of lotus on ceramic

Opening of the exhibition "Sen Soul". Photo: P.Lan

The exhibition chose the theme “Lotus – The Pure Beauty of the Vietnamese Soul”, inspired by the flower symbolizing purity and wisdom in Eastern culture. The works at the exhibition are imbued with the Eastern painting style, with gentle shapes and free and liberal compositions. The color harmony in the works is a combination of many layers of rich glaze, reminiscent of the layers and golden light of lacquer paintings, while bringing the light and gentle shapes of oil paintings.

Painter Ngo Ba Hoang shares at the exhibition. Photo: P.Lan

Speaking at the opening ceremony, artist Ngo Ba Hoang shared that the exhibition is the result of his research and exploration over the past 3 years with ceramic materials. According to the artist, this material attracts him because of the diversity in the language of expression.

“In recent years, I have been particularly interested in and focused on researching and composing in the direction of bringing special glazes into the palette of paintings on white ceramic backgrounds. I began to experiment with combining painting techniques into ceramics such as the multi-layer painting technique of classical oil paintings, the grinding and gilding techniques of traditional Vietnamese lacquer paintings... combined with the spontaneous flow of ceramic glaze. The more I researched, the more I found that the expressive ability of ceramic glaze is extremely rich. When fired at high temperatures, the glaze colors interact and spontaneously create spontaneous colors. These color molecules float and intertwine in the clear glaze layers, creating a magical color palette, with depth, unique optical effects, like an impromptu music of the artist with fire and earth. It cannot be repeated,” painter Ngo Ba Hoang expressed.

A highlight of the exhibition is the work “Vessel of Life”, which is highly appreciated by artist Van Duong Thanh for both its idea and technique: “This is a unique ceramic work of art, created and researched very elaborately. The shape of the work is the image of a pregnant mother with cracks all over her body – the idea of the noble beauty and sacrifice of a mother”.

Emphasizing the lotus symbol and the crackled glaze of the work, artist Van Duong Thanh believes that the lotus is a symbol of purity, rebirth and enlightenment in Eastern culture. The position of the blooming lotus in the center represents the spreading source of life energy, the center of vitality. The cracks on the glaze do not detract from the beauty of the work but on the contrary, create depth of time and emotion.

The “Sen Soul” exhibition will run until August 3. Within the framework of the exhibition, on the afternoon of July 26, there will be an art talk show with the theme “The appeal of ceramic art to the young generation and the role of unique ceramic art in contemporary living spaces” with the participation of artists, critics, interior designers, architects, collectors…; and a workshop to experience making ceramics.

Some works at the exhibition: