A corner of the exhibition featuring young sculptors. — VNS Photo Van Anh

Thirty-six sculptures by 29 artists from many different generations including Indochina Fine Arts and Resistance Fine Arts are on display. Younger generations bring diverse perspectives to modern sculpture, reflecting the love for life and for the people as well as contemporary issues.  

The materials of the sculptures were diverse, ranging from terracotta, wood, aluminium, bronze, to stone and plaster. 

Many themes collectively make up the exhibition, with pieces praising President Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party. Others represent ways to make a living like farming. Many sculptures depict maternal love or celebrate people's diligence.

Other pieces like Rowing festival, The spring dance, and The sound of the traditional lute celebrate springtime in every corner of the country. Small details include the dragon boats and festival outfits.

The piece Comrades by Vu Huu Nhung puts a very creative twist on the Dong Son bronze drum, using the motif often found as a pattern on the drum. The sculptures collect memories of the past, showing how we’ve kept or evolved from past traditions. 

Many pieces reflect unity in daily lives of local people with different cultures like Dinh Ru’s Drinking rice wine through bamboo straws or Nguyen Duy Do’s Washing feet by the stream. The piece Tree of life by Ta Quang Bao brings a new concept of abstract art as it combines two people hugging each other, with their upper bodies as the trunk and their heads as the bonsai leaves.

Contemporary sculptures reflect topics like environmental protection in The Gift of the Sea by Hoang Mai Thiep. 

The generations of artists, diverse ways of expression through different shapes and forms, the variety of the materials and artists’ own personal styles all shape Vietnam’s modern sculpture scene.

The exhibition is hoped to convey wishes for a peaceful new year to the greater public. VNS

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Contemporary artworks go on show at Hanoi - Saigon Sculpture Exhibition

Hanoi Vincom Centre for Contemporary Art is playing host to the sixth Hanoi-Saigon Sculpture Exhibition, with more than 60 outstanding contemporary artworks produced by 32 artists from the country’s two largest cities going on display.