Pham Thuy Tien is an artist working and living in Hanoi, Vietnam. She likes to paint landscapes and cultures in Vietnam, mainly based on personal observations and hoping to portray human conditions in life through practical experiences about what’s happening in this country. She practices art on traditional materials such as oi, lacquer, silk, gouache, ceramics, traditional painting technique, v.v… Pham began to find her own artistic language by diving deep into her own inner world and working around dreamy and poetic images gradually formed transformed through thoughts and feelings. These are the aspects and angles she wants to further explore in today’s modern life and urban culture, aiming to incorporate people’s dreams and aspirations into a dreamlike, fantastical setting.
Huu Nghi: Singapore & Vietnam 50-10 Exhibition
The Story of Water: "Drawing inspiration from the geographical history similarities of the two nations related to rivers and seas, I collected folklore tales as well as stories associated with water from both countries. These stories were crafted as a means of exploring the narratives of the past. The installation piece takes form using coracles, rice paper, and a net depicting a swimming jellyfish. Beneath lies sand to symbolize the land."
Promenade of the fairies: Drawing inspiration from the legends of Quynh Hoa and Que Hoa in the famous Mau folk paintings of Hang Trong, Vietnam, Quynh Hoa and Que Hoa are two revered saints and close attendants of the Holy Mother Cuu Trung in the Vietnamese folk belief of mother worship. There are numerous anecdotes surrounding these two figures. One tale suggests that the holy twin attendants, Quynh Hoa Princess and Que Hoa Princess, were female generals during the Hai Ba Trung uprising, born in Ha Giang. When the rebellion faced defeat, they returned home and ended their lives by the Lo River. Later, they became revered spirits, holy attendants of Mother Tam Toa, and were posthumously conferred the titles of Quynh Hoa Princess and Que Hoa Princess by Emperor Ngoc Hoang. In general, these two loyal and illustrious holy attendants often manifested themselves, wandering through the green forests and red mountains, traveling from North to South alongside the Goddess of the Nation, bestowing blessings to dispel misfortunes, punishing wrongdoers, and granting favours upon the virtuous.
Drawing inspiration from the Hang Trong painting depicting these two figures, the artist envisioned a scene of earthly playfulness, resembling celestial fairies amidst flowers, grass, forests, and birds. It's a peaceful tableau of harmony between Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Surrounding this scene are prominent landscapes of the two regions, as if portraying a whimsical journey of celestial fairies to the mortal realm. These fairies can descend anywhere to aid and perform benevolent deeds. In the painting, the two fairy figures and the sun are inked on paper in the style of Hang Trong paintings, while the background is created with acrylic to depict the ethereal natural scenery within this earthly context.
