Myth and Glaze: Contemporary Ceramics in Ho Chi Minh City
A gallery exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City displays glazed ceramic sculptures where folkloric creatures, figures, and water motifs take tactile form.
The Hybrid Creature on the Stand
Under the direct focus of gallery spotlights, a bold ceramic sculpture commands the foreground. Crafted from clay and coated in vivid, glossy glazes, the work merges animal and human silhouettes into a single dynamic form. A rooster-like crest rendered in bright orange rises above hollow eye openings and an open beak, flowing backward into deep blue crests that resemble layered plumage or breaking waves. Alongside the bird form reclines an ochre-colored anthropomorphic figure, its limbs ending in coiled spirals that evoke classical decorative scrollwork.
Positioned on a fabric mat atop a dark-rimmed metal pedestal, the piece balances sculptural weight with theatrical expression. Vietnam's ceramic heritage has long drawn upon guardian figures, domestic fauna, and water folklore. In this gallery setting, those familiar archetypes are reconfigured into an expressive narrative object, using high-gloss surfaces to reflect the ambient room lighting.
An Assembly of Sculptural Vessels
Along the perimeter of the room, a sequence of slender display stands forms a continuous horizon against the white wall. Each plinth carries an individual sculpted piece, encouraging visitors to examine the varied approaches to volume, texture, and glaze chemistry.
The works along the wall echo maritime and zoomorphic silhouettes. One wide basin takes the shape of an ornate vessel or barque, detailed with small sculpted figures and a lotus petal motif along its base. Adjacent stands hold pieces dominated by swirling wave patterns in cobalt and rust red, crowned with avian forms, while others present rounded, domed contours reminiscent of ceremonial bowls. The interplay of saturated blues, deep oranges, earthy browns, and variegated mineral glazes reveals careful control over kiln firing, allowing molten pigments to settle into carved recesses and outline raised contours.
Clay in the Contemporary Gallery
Presenting ceramic sculpture within a contemporary Ho Chi Minh City art space places an ancient material into modern view. Stripped of functional domestic roles or temple altars, the pieces invite attention strictly for their formal qualities: the gesture of the artist's hands in wet clay, the sharp relief of incised patterns, and the chemical transformation of the glaze.
Surrounded by plain walls and neutral floor tiles, the works assert their presence through color and mythic resonance. In their coiled flourishes and stylized profiles, these sculptures show that traditional visual vocabularies continue to inspire new, expressive forms in contemporary Vietnamese art.