VietNamNet Bridge – Saigon-based contemporary artist La Huy believes his journey towards wax was fate as he enters a period in his art career with an urge to recall his nostalgia for past memories and notions on spiritual belief. He is even on a road to explore himself, the reality and the world around him by making sculptures and installations with wax material.

La Huy creates a sculptured- wax monk vest in his studio in Tan Binh District.

After the solo exhibition ‘When the voice is raised’ which highlighted his technique of brush handle on 22 oil-on-canvas pieces in late 2009, Huy amazed art lovers when he suddenly turned sculptures into wax art. The big change happened in March 2011 with his first experimental works at the ‘Remains’ solo exhibition at Himiko Café in District 3 with around a dozen Cay Mai pottery statues covered by wax, bringing visitors much emotions of nostalgia and peace and inspiring them to value antiques and heritage buildings even more.

After gaining much respect and admiration from local art critics and foreign collectors, Huy developed the new materials in his next solo exhibition ‘Sentimental Zone’ at Cactus Contemporary Gallery in District 2 in October 2011. Seeming to be more skillful with wax, the show was a huge step forward in his art career featuring the sculptured-wax dress of a pregnant woman and kids dressed up with shimmering lights inside their outfits which really impressed visitors. A sculptured-wax dress of a pregnant woman could make viewers think about the fate of women or imagine a live fetus waiting for a new life, while kids becoming angels via the child’s clothing sculpture with hope coming via the flickering of the candle light, expressing the nobility of angels as well as a desire of  children to live.

Also, old bibles or Buddhist teaching-books and some old books covered with lines of words appearing illusionary in viewers’ eye as if they can call them to try to read, try to remember and try to keep traditional values or moral advice of the gods.

After making such a strong impression on some international collectors, last year, Huy was invited to display his works at the group exhibition ‘Deep S.E.A Contemporary art from South East Asia’ at Primo Giovanni Marella in Italy. At that show, the wax came alive through the fusing of the objects from old Buddhist books, newspapers and music sheets that evoke passages as if we can hear old Buddhist psalms and piano recitals which move as ethereal spirits as the mending for past destruction and social errors in a search for peace.

“I use wax to cover objects whose values come with time like old bibles regardless of the ups and downs of history. When the wax becomes solid and the hot wax infiltrates to the papers, books are shaped into varied forms and look mysterious in the milky color of wax and the golden color of old papers and finally they get a new life somehow,” said Huy.

He has shipped dozens of wax-sculptured Buddhist books and monk vests to Primo Giovanni Marella for his solo exhibition in Lugano, Switzerland early next year.

Born Catholic, Huy chose Buddhist teaching books as to him the Buddhist doctrine always goes along with human spirit and has always existed in Eastern culture, while he uses the monk vest because he was inspired from a monk begging for food on the street.

“Practicing art is like an inner battle or an art communication. Every day I think about wax, cooking it, covering it into objects shaped as formed in my creativeness; I seem to be making a journey to explore myself, the reality and the world surrounding me. All are new things because I never repeat an old artwork and try to conquer a new material,” said Huy.

The sensitiveness of wax, graceful milky color and mysterious light with mute language really stands out from other exhibits.

Source: SGT