Patriotic Art in Truong Sa Vietnam

To call attention to Vietnam’s sovereignty of the Truong Sa Islands, a group of artists has created a giant ceramic national flag on the island of Truong Sa Lon

In early 2012, ceramic artist Nguyen TIm Thuy had ‘T r the idea to create an art project titled “Truong Sa Island – Vietnamese Sea and Islands Of Love” to express ietnam’s longstanding sovereignty of the Truong Sa Is­lands. Together with artists Doan Son, Pham Viet Hong Lam, Bui Viet Dian and 30 other artists working at the Nghe Thuat Tan Hanoi Company, Ms. Thuy set out to create a giant ceramic na­tional flag on the roof of a house on Truong Sa Lon. The artists also created four large ceramic mosaic murals in the Truong Sa Lon is­lands of the Truong Sa district, Khanh Hoa province. The project began in late February, 2012 and was completed in June, 2012.

The Vietnam Book of Records awarded the certifi­cation ‘The largest ceramic Fatherland’s Flag’ for their creation, which has an area of 31 0 square meters. The flag is made of 310,000 small ceramic mosaic tiles, each measuring 3cm x 3cm and weighs 3.5 tons. The flag was de­signed using digital visual effects. Thus the Vietnamese national flag looks impressive and outstanding – the red color stands out among the immense green of the trees and the blue of the sea. “Here is Vietnam, My homeland!”

THIS PATRIOTIC PROJECT EARNED ARTIST NGUYEN THU THUY A CERTIFICATE OF MERIT FROM VIETNAM’S MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

The artists also completed four ceramic mosaic mural on two walls of2.8 m in height and 9 m in length facing the central run­way of Truong Sa Lon island. The ceramic paintings depict the long history of Vietnamese people living and working in Hoang Sa and the Truong Sa Islands. At the center of the picture is a map of Vietnam. The ceramic paintings feature sacred and sym­bolic images such as Ly Dynasty dragons, Khue Van Cac, the One Pillar Pagoda of Hanoi, Thien Mu Pagoda of Hue, the My Son Cham towers, Nha Rong Wharf, and a statue of Uncle Ho. The foreground of the ceramic paintings de­pict the long history of Vietnamese people in the East Sea, from the Dong Son boats of King Hung’s era to large warships used by Vietnamese to repel northern invaders dur­ing the Ly -Tran-Le-Nguyen Dynasties and the Ho Chi Minh Era.

The power of national unity is fullyex­pressed through representative groups of in­tellectuals, workers, peasants, and soldiers of

54 ethnic groups standing at the side of Viet ­nam’s navy fighters in an attempt to protect the sovereignty of the country’s islands. The art work shows beloved landscapes and sym­bols of Vietnam like the edge of a pond, rice plants, the roots of a jackfruit tree; lotus flowers, peach flowers, and apricot flowers. The ceramic paintings spotlight Vietnam’s sea sovereignty and remind the rest of the world that Vietnam has long-standing sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Islands. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Van Hai, Deputy Director of the Truong Sa Islands, commented: “This is a brilliant idea! The con­tribution critically claims the country’s sov­ereignty thanks to art. The project also promotes the traditional ceramic craft of the ancient Vietnamese people, especially its long sustainability and longevity over time”.

Patriotic Art in Truong Sa Vietnam

THE WORKS ARE MADE OF SPECIAL CERAMIC TILES ENAMELED AT HIGH TEMPERATURES AND SALT­RESISTANT CEMENT GLUE THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO WITHSTAND HARSH WEATHER

Artist Nguyen Thu Thuy is also the creator of “Ceramic road along the Red River” which was awarded the “Sui Xuan Phai – For the Love of
Hanoi” award in 2008. In 2010 the Guinness Book of World Records de­clared this work to be the world’s longest ceramic painting (approxi­mately 3.85 km in length).

The instigator of the “Truong Sa Island ­Vietnamese Sea and Islands Of Love”, artist Nguyen Thu Thuy, was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of Defense in Feb­ruary, 2013. At the ceremony, Lt. Gen. Mai Quang Phan, a member of the Party Central Committee, and Deputy Director of the Gen­eral Department of Politics of Vietnam Peo­ple’s Army said: “The “Fatherland’s Flag and Ceramic Paintings” project reminds not only Vietnamese people but also the rest of the world of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa Islands. The project is greatly meaningful and dedicated to gen­erations now and forever. This is our land and we must preserve it and affirm our sover­eignty to our international friends

 

Patriotic Art in Truong Sa Vietnam
First post at: Vietnam Culture