Calligrapher Truong Kien Quoc, who has been attached to calligraphy for nearly 50 years, shows his huge pen brush.

VnnNews – As a traditional custom, on the days approaching Tet (Lunar New Year) the fair displaying calligraphy by the Chinese Vietnamese community from District 5 in Ho Chi Minh City in Southern Vietnam is crowded with people who enjoy this hobby. < />

Calligraphers living on streets around like Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Nguyen Trai, Luong Nhu Hai, etc. come to the fair, bringing along such necessities as tables and chairs, paper, slabs and inks, pen brushes … with which they can satisfy any customer by writing calligraphic letters for display at home during Tet Holidays and around the year.

Hai Thuong Lan Ong is the most crowded street where many people practice calligraphy. The long bustling street is colourful with calligraphic

James Winton, an American tourist, is curious to see calligrapher Kim Hy writing scripts.

letters in red and yellow.

Unlike those from the North who often wear traditional costumes of the scholars in the old time including long dress and turban, calligraphers from the South wear casual dress, some even bare to the waist, which adds to their already indifferent appearance caused by their bald head and big belly.

However, the way they use the pen brush to write calligraphic letters is incredibly professional.

Among the counters selling interiors for display at Tet, I found counter No. 213 owned by the old

Writing yellow scripts on red paper.

calligrapher Truong Kien Quoc. A native of Guangdong (China), old Truong is a kind-hearted man with a cheerful sense of humour.

He showed me a huge pen brush, which looks like a feather brush of the fairy Taoist hermit.

On the pen body there are three Chinese letters, which means “A heavenly pen”. One end of the brush is made of reed.

Truong said his pen brush is made for fun, not for writing calligraphic letters. For almost 50 years, he has come to the fair to write calligraphic letters for the customers. The letters have a meaning of happiness, wealth and longevity, luck, fortune, talent, etc.

Customers said that calligraphic letters by the Chinese Vietnamese in Cho Lon in the South are different from those written by calligraphers in the North, even in China.

They are letters written with black ink and on flowery red paper soaked with scent; letters made from Chinese black ink and on simple pink paper; and letters written with Chinese black ink and on white paper, respectively.

Although there are scrolls and couplets with nice printed letters, many still love to have hand-written calligraphic letters, simply because the latter seems to have soul and livelier than the printed letters which are polished but rigid.

With time passing by, the calligraphy fair of the Chinese Vietnamese in Cho Lon area brings great enjoyment and entertainment for many people during traditional Tet Holidays.

VietNamNet/VNP

Traditional Quan Ho doesn’t employ microphones. < />

VnnNews – The current Lim Festival is very bustling, attracting thousands of visitors. Quan ho is sung everywhere from houses to boats. People, including cultural experts, are optimistic about the development of Quan ho.

But it is really difficult to find a real Quan ho show which is organised according to traditional procedures.

We came to Dang Village when the Lim Festival was about to end and were welcomed warmly by Mrs. Hai Quynh. At 7pm, we went to the village pagoda. After the incense thurifying ceremony, guests started their performances. They were young ca tru singers from the Thang Long ca tru club and young calligraphers from the Vietnam Cultural Preservation Company.

The traditional Quan ho show began at past 8pm. Mrs. Hai Quynh and 6-7 old women, around ten middle-aged women, and some young girls sat down on sedge mats spread out in the pagoda’s yard. There were only four male singers. Listeners stood up around mats.

A quan ho researcher, Bui Trong Hien, said ancient Quan ho doesn’t have microphones or music. The light must be from candles and he asked listeners to keep quiet.

When two male singers, Mr. Ninh and Mr. Hien began to sing, some old people said: “I couldn’t hear a thing”. Mrs. Hai Quynh was resigned to seeking microphones and turning on speakers. The poor speakers couldn’t help listeners enjoy the real voices of singers and the deep-lying melodies of Quan ho songs.

Researcher Bui Trong Hien was discouraged, and went to sit in a corner. He said: “Only romantic people can imagine that we can resume ancient Quan ho in the current situation. Audiences are familiar to listening to Quan ho through speakers, radios and stages. They don’t know what real Quan ho is.”

Perhaps because of disorder, the Quan ho show, which was called ancient, couldn’t keep the audience. Luckily, after many listeners left, the real ancient Quan ho performance started.

Singers sat closely, put down micros, speakers and electric bulbs. The pagoda’s yard was lit by the moon only. Guests and old people stayed to enjoy the voices of singers.

In vaporous light, ancient Quan ho songs really charmed the audience. Mrs. Hai Mang and Mrs. Hai Co (70 and 74 years old) sang “Gio mat trang thanh”. Mrs. Ban and Mr. Lich (two living folk artisans of Quan ho) performed “Tuong nho ve nguoi”. Younger singers like Men, Oanh, Hue and Lan sang “Thu giai phien”, “Ba bon chiec thuyen ke”.

The show couldn’t finish though the “Goodbye” song was sung for 30 minutes. Some guests said they had never listened to such a wonderful Quan ho show.

Where is ancient Quan ho?

Researcher Bui Trong Hien said real Quan ho show must include some phases, from the starting, to official and goodbye stages. These stages have close connections. Some shows can last for several days. Today, Quan ho shows include singer songs and singers don’t understand the ancient rules in singing Quan ho.

Quan ho is dual singing so to have a true Quan ho show, pairs of singers are needed (male and female singers in pairs). According to the Institute of Culture and Art, only Dang Xa village can organise true Quan ho shows because the village still has several male Quan ho singers who have good voices and good knowledge of Quan ho. Resuming ancient Quan ho shows is the idea of the institute.

Researcher Bui Trong Hien said other villages in Bac Ninh have many good female singers but they don’t have suitable male singers. The lack of male singers is a big problem of Quan ho Bac Ninh at present.

Quan ho is said to be developing again in Bac Ninh but some researchers worry that it is developing far from the tradition and origin.

The Institute of Culture and Art tried to hold some ancient Quan ho shows, but after they left Quan ho villages, villagers immediately brought electronic musical instruments to accompany Quan ho singers, Hien said.

Some villages organise real Quan ho shows, but for researchers only. However, Quan ho has advantages over other types of traditional arts because there are many people who still love and have a passion for this folk art.

VietNamNet/ND

Artist Nguyen Manh Duc bellieves that contemporary artists should have a good background in traditional culture.

VnnNews – The facade may symbolise tradition, but Duc’s stilt house art gallery is a haven for modern thinkers. < />

From the outside, Nguyen Manh Duc’s stilt house has an ancient facade, but inside there’s a a shocking, arty, contemporay atmosphere. The old-style house is used as a gallery of alternative modern art and stands out prominently beside the multi-storey blocks of Vinh Phuc District.

Today is the “10+” celebration. As the title suggests, it’s about marking the house’s 10th year as a museum for alternative art.

Over 20 well-known artists are attending the celebration. Key attendees include Tran Luong, the first curator of Viet Nam; Truong Tan, one of the the country’s first performance artists; and Vu Nhat Tan, Viet Nam’s much-lauded sound & noise musician. Foreigners familiar with the domestic art circle, like Veronica Radulovicis, were also in attendance.

In one of the rooms, soft watermelons inside a square frame cover a wooden bed. The fruit has not been cut out in pieces, but chewed carefully. The crimson scence is intended to provoke strong feelings of passion in the viewer.

On another table, the statue of a man tries to escape from a cubic box surrounding him on all sides. The man has been moulded into the same cubic shape suffocating him, as though to mimic feelings of powerlessness.

Visitors are taken in most by Lai Thi Dieu Ha’s quirky creation. In it, bread dangles from the wall. The artists note below it reads:

“My son was born with a penis, and I am proud of this. I want to mould bread into penis shapes so people can enjoy the image.”

A tray of bread is placed behind the wall for people to touch. The artist wants people to feel and taste the bread, so they can feel stimulation not only from their eyes, but from their tastes and senses too.

“Is there any message behind such a scene?” I asked the eccentric artist.

Obviously, every piece has some message, she says.

The clearest one can be understood straight away: together, the art pieces draw out a miniature picture of the development of contemporary art in the past decade in Viet Nam.

Duc’s stilt house became the first-ever studio in the country to exhibit works of this genre; for that reason, the art form is only as old as the house that gave it its first home.

The odd owner

A piece by Nguyen Hong Hai made from waterballoons and a work by veteran artist Nguyen Hoang Long and Vu Hoai Thu made from headphones.

This stilted Muong ethnic minority house was taken from Hoa Binh Province to the western suburbs of Ha Noi. The owner is an audacious Hanoian artist.

The Vietnamese Art environment has been evolving since the turn of the 90s, when the maket economy was established.

By the end of the 90s, positive signs that contemporary art was beginning to spread sprouted up all over Viet Nam. Passionate contributions were made by creative artists like Tran Luong, Truong Tan and Minh Thanh. The pioneering artists endeavoured to pave the way for a brighter, more refreshing art culture in a rapidly-changing developing country. They had a tough road ahead.

At that time, the galleries around Ha Noi only paid attention to profitable projects. Contemporary artists didn’t attract much interest back then. Most places refused to give a the budding artists a chance.

In such a bleak period, Duc ’s stilt house came as a welcome saviour. At the time, artists hailed it as the “big bang” of modern art.

The house is one of the capital’s most active centres for installation and performance art. It’s not as well known, however, that the house was once a place for traditional art performances, like cheo (traditional opperatta), tuong (classical drama) and folklore tunes.

Duc has enormous passion for traditional life. This is evident by the house, the appearance of stone guard dogs in the garden, Buddha statues and holy paintings on the walls inside.

“I don’t think there is a contradiction between traditional culture and contemporary art,” says Duc.

When he’s asked about the house’s strange and eclectic decor, Duc explains that the first story is contemporary and the second showcases his collection of ancient artefacts.

Duc probably inherited his love of heritage. His late father was famous Vietnamese writter, Kim Lan.

“Traditional culture is the soul of everything around us. It is like the blood in our vessels, and appears in life around us. So how can one give them up?” Duc asks.

However, his love of ancient art couldn’t keep him occupied for long. His father thought him the most senstive of his five artist brothers and sisters. As a child, Duc had difficulty expressing his innermost feelings.

“The traditional style can bore me. I want to do something new, something to satisfy my desire of creating, right to the bitter end.”

Duc has been successful. So far, his house has staged almost 70 contemporary art performances, and it is a popular rendezvous point for new artists. Duc is the first port of call for anyone in search of an emerging contemporary artist.

Duc has proven that today’s aritsts don’t necessarily need to be able to draw.

Explanation

Vistors are lucky to bump into Duc. He’s always willing to clarify messages behind each piece.

Duc’s interpretation of the man in the cube is as follows: “There is a saying that ‘stay inside a melon, get a round shape, stay in a tube get a long shape.’ (O bau thi tron, o ong thi dai).

The work emphasizes our responsibility for creating an environment that the youth can grow in. People create frames for their surrounding environment, and these frames shape them.”

He also clears up the meaning behind the baffling bread wall. Duc says the work reflects our attitude about gender equality, particularly regarding sex. In past years, women have taken on newer roles and have become stronger and more powerful sexually.

“It is said that arts on the easel is for aestheticism; contemporary art is for the message. I don’t agree with that.” he says.

“In fact, contemporary art is also for aestheticism, but it sometimes re-defines people’s ideas about aestheticism.”

According to Duc, the hardest thing for a contemporary artist is thinking up a new idea. Suprisingly enough, to be successful, they need a good background in traditional culture and lifestyle.

“I believe that no one can work well in the field of art without knowing about traditions. Those who want to bring about change should know what needs changing and what does not.

“Traditional art is about preserving the past, contemporary art moves forward towards development. Sometimes development means that some old rules need to be broken for new ones to be born.”

Contemporary artists still have challenges – they have yet to conquer their audience. But Duc and his friends say they will never give up trying. The artist jokes sometimes that he will sell the stilt-house and buy another on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. There, he muses, he can live in creative freedom with all his arty friends.

VietNamNet/VNS