First Vietnam-RoK lacquer painting exhibition opened in Hanoi

The first Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) lacquer painting exhibition themed “Vietnamese Lacquer & Korean Ottchil” is taking place at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.

Lasting until December 12, the exhibition showcases 39 paintings, with 27 of them Korean works by 25 RoK's artists and the remainder Vietnamese works by 12 Vietnamese artists. They feature landscapes, people and daily life of the two countries.

Korean ottchil is an art of lacquer which primarily uses oyster shells to create paintings. This is called Najeon-chil technique. Ottchil paint made from Ott-namu tree is a natural, environmentally friendly type of paint, so it is not harmful to humans.

Ottchil paint is waterproof, anti-termite, and unaltered for a thousand years. Korean ottchil is different from other types of art because of Najeon technique and its colors.

On December 3, ottchil comes with a modern style but still retains features of traditional lacquer art.

Lacquer has been a traditional material for decorating things in daily life in some Asian countries like Vietnam and the RoK for a long time.

Along with art development, lacquer has become a material in artworks and made many Vietnamese and Korean artists famous such as Tran Dinh Tho (1919 -2011), Nguyen Gia Tri (1909-1993), Tran Van Can (1910-1994), and Kim Sung Soo (1935).

However, lacquer art in each country has some culturally distinctive features.

In Vietnam, artists make lacquer from non-toxic latex from a special tree in Phu Tho Province mixed with other natural materials like gold, silver, and egg shells.

The soul of lacquer works and the artists’ talent are decided by the grinding process. This is the different point of Vietnamese lacquer paintings.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, organizer the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam holds workshop, seminar and forum to create chances for Vietnamese students to discover and compare lacquer art of both countries.

Park Nark Jong, director of the Korean Cultural Center, hoped that the exhibition would not only bring Vietnamese lacquer and Korean ottchil closer to people in the two countries but also boost cooperation among artists in this sector.

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