A network of rivers embraces Vietnam’s northern midlands and lowlands, yielding a terrain that descends from northwest to southeast. The silt-laden plains formed along these rivers provide favorable conditions for agriculture. Such is the ground on which village clusters were established before they became bustling towns. 

In the same manner, pre-modern Vietnamese architecture, including private residences, communal houses, religious establishments, etc., was also attuned to fit in with their surroundings. 

Primarily farmers, for whom year-round hardships were the norm, the Vietnamese people of this time venerated their ancestors, tutelary deities, Buddha, and nature – rivers, earth, animals, the tree in front of their house, the earthen stove in their kitchen. 

In doing so, they voiced their wish for a comfortable life and good weather, hoping that divine beings and the souls of the bygone would watch over them.

An artwork by Nguyen Huy An

The Vietnamese people’s faith in a spiritual world as well as our relationship to nature have morphed throughout the ages: from the feudal time to French colonisation, from warring years to the flurry of industrialisation, consumerism and urbanisation. Can divine beings offer a spiritual therapy of sorts in a modern context such as ours?

Born in 1982 in Hanoi, Nguyen Huy An is known for his installations and performance art pieces which are serene, minimal, and poetic. 

His practice delves into the void and the darkness of human psyches. He has participated in important exhibitions in the region such as the Nippon International Performance Art Festival, Singapore Biennale and Istanbul Biennale 2015.

Nguyen Duc Phuong was born in 1982 in Uoc Le village, a village specialising in making giò chả (Vietnamese sausages); hence his other namesake, ‘Phuong Gio’. 

Phuong uses natural colors from soil, flowers and plants on giấy bản (a traditional handmade paper) in his bright herdsboy-styled paintings, depicting his memory of a long gone Hanoi or villages familiar to him.

An artwork by Nguyen Duc Phuong

Born in 1991, Ta Minh Duc graduated from Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema in 2014. His work questions notions of existence, human relationships, isolation of the individual, latent violence and domination. 

Recent notable artistic activities include an exhibition at the Japan Foundation for Skylines with Flying People 3. He participated in Autumn Meeting 2016 and won its Short Film of the Future Award.

The exhibition is the concluding event in the series Crafting Home, which is supported by the “Re-designing Craft: The Future is Hand-Made” fund of the Prince Claus Fund and G-Star Raw.

T. Van