Fashionable tote bags and smartphone cases imprinted with patterns and images of traditional folk paintings are on display at an exhibition in Hà Nội.  

The exhibition “When Modern Works Bear The Traditional Spirit” is the next step of the Họa Sắc Việt (Painting Vietnamese Colours) project launched by designer Trịnh Thu Trang.

The show features smartphones cases imprinted with images of Mother Goddesses, as well as shoes, Nha Xá silk scarves, T-shirts and notebooks with Hàng Trống paintings.

Trang worked with traditional artists to research Hàng Trống paintings and use them on modern goods. All of the research was recorded in the book The Vietnamese Colours of Hàng Trống Paintings released in April.

Now she is owner of S-River Company which inspires Vietnamese enterprises to create products that bear the country’s cultural identity.

After the launch of the book, S-River has had the chance to collaborate with many enthusiastic enterprises who want to tell their proud stories with images and designs that have a strong cultural identity.

“Now our project has stepped out of the pages – it is no longer a theory, it has come to life,” said Trang.

“We hope that the exhibition will create a space that preserves the traditional values in a brand new, contemporary and inspiring way.”

“Our project provides new methods of preserving and promoting the value of Vietnamese traditions. We do not try to apply the original work of art into modern life, not with a false hope to hold onto the past.”

“What our team does is to find materials from the source of folk culture and then carefully apply them into modern products.”

“That is our approach to revitalise our traditional values so they do not exist in the museums only but also become familiar in Vietnamese people’s daily life.”

Trang revealed that next year, she will release a book entitled The Vietnamese Colours of Đông Hồ Paintings, in which she discovers the art of Đông Hồ paintings and experiments the potential to apply the patterns onto modern products.

The exhibition will run until November 7 at the Việt Nam – Korea Design Centre, 17 Yết Kiêu Street, Hà Nội. — VNS