Exhibition featuring mosaic portraits of 21 APEC Economic Leaders launched

(VNF) – The exhibition “Portrait of 21 APEC Economies Leaders on Vietnamese ceramic” was launched on November 18 in Hanoi.

November 18, 2017 | 16:59

(VNF) – The exhibition “Portrait of 21 APEC Economies Leaders on Vietnamese ceramic” was launched on November 18 in Hanoi.

The exhibition, displaying mosaic portraits of 21 APEC Economies Leaders on ceramic, is jointly organized by the Center for Press and International Communications Cooperation (Ministry of Information and Communication), the Vietnamese Fatherland Front of Dong Nai province, Ho Chi Minh. City’s Vietnam – ASEAN Friendship, the Vietnamese Museum of Fine Art, OSSSO Trade and Service Company and Chien Thang Company.

Exhibition featuring mosaic portraits of 21 APEC Economic Leaders launched

Vice Minister of Information and Communication Phan Tam speaks at the opening address (photo: Phi Yen)

The exhibition opening ceremony was attended by Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien, Vice Minister of Information and Communication Phan Tam, Assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Sanh Chau, representatives, leaders of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee, Dong Nai province People’s Committee, embassies of 21 APEC member economies, friendship associations, international organizations, and partners of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Information and Communication.

Speaking at the event, Vice Minister of Information and Communication Phan Tam said, the collection of portraits of 21 APEC Economic leaders has a significant meaning, not only to the recipients themselves but also the international community.

The art work on ceremic is expected to present to people in Vietnam and overseas the exotic beauty of a new style of art, which is the quintessence of Vietnamese culture.

According to Nguyen Truong Son, Director of the Center for Press and International Communications Cooperation (MIC), the collection symbolizes the Vietnamese people’s sincere willingness to contribute to the success of APEC 2017 and the development of external affairs communication.

The mosaic collection is considered an outstanding art works of the nation, since it is the first time Vietnamese artists ventures into creating photo-realist ceramic portraits, using a familiar materials: ceramic from Dong Nai, a southeastern province of Vietnam, Son said.

The collection is an excellent example of the persity and abundance of hues which Vietnamese ceramic is capable of providing, which allow the artists to replicate precisely not only the physical attributes but also reflect the personality of the figure in the portrait.

According to artist Mai Van Nhon, head of the artists group who completed portraits of 21 APEC economic leaders, since each painting is made up of 200 to 300 ceramic fragments of different colors, the whole collection consists of nearly 2000 ceramic fragments.

Mosaic portrait of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (photo: Phi Yen)

In order to complete a ceramic portrait of APEC economic leaders, the artisans had to select a portrait photo of the figure, convert it into painting, analyze the color details and based on that, create the ceramic tile with similar color. After being baked at high temperatures, the ceramics were cut into small pieces and then skillfully grafted, creating beautiful mosaic painting.

“Comparing to when they stood alone, the color of ceramic fragment being put together was different, hence we needed to do a lot of test. It was normal for us to test up to 10 colors before coming out with the qualified one." Nhon said.

It therefore took the group of three approximately one month to complete one portrait. Sometimes, the artists even had to try again, if they did not satisfy with the product.

For each APEC economic leader, the group created more than one portrait, and only the best picture was presented to that featuring person.

The exhibition will be opened for visitor until November 22 at the Vietnamese Museum of Fine Art, No.66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Str., Ba Dinh, Hanoi.

According to the organizing board, in December, the exhibition will be held in the southern province of Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City./.

The collection of portraits of 21 APEC economic leaders was a project completed by a group of artists and artisans from the southern province of Dong Nai in two years (2016, 2017).

The collection was also selected as gifts presented to APEC leaders during the freshly-concluded APEC Economic Leaders’ Week by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Portraits of President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan are also exhibited at the event./.