VietNamNet Bridge – This is the title of a Canadian sculptor’s exhibition which has captured the world’s attention. The exhibition came to Vietnam on January 22.

The exhibition by Blake reflects the idea of beauty as perceived by people from previous centuries and as it is perceived today and it is about the destruction brought by wars.

Blake made clay statues based on real models. The statues took their shapes during the process of drying the clay. When the artist was satisfied with the figure of statues, he burnt it to complete statues.

The artist maintained the figure of real models on his statues, with complicated posing figures. He said one of the biggest difficulties was keeping the models still.

“Debris” reminds us of the statues of the Renaissance, which shows the standard beauty of man. However, Blake didn’t aim to copy the past art or praise the beauty of the human body. He hoped that these artworks would help raise the awareness of the destruction of wars.

Statues are not named after deities, heroes or mythological characters but after the names of bombs and mines like M-72, Claymore M18A1, Sadeye CBU-75, etc.

Since “Debris” was introduced in London in 2007, it has become a symbol of hope for those who are trying to clean bombs and mines in developing countries. Being combined with the “no more landmines” and “adopt a minefield” of the UN, “Debris” has contributed to cleaning many mines and save many lives. Part of the income from the exhibition is donated to the Cambodian Bomb and Mine Museum.

“Debris” can be seen at Bui Gallery in Hanoi until March 12, 2011.

Some statues in “Debris”:

PV