VietNamNet Bridge – Not only local people, experts also are now criticising the Ceramic Road, a significant project to celebrate the 1000^th Thang Long – Hanoi anniversary.

Feedback from Ceramic Road’s author

Historian Le Van Lan couldn’t hide his disappointment over the Ceramic Road project, calling it a “money-making and advertising road”.

Painter Tran Luong worried that this outdoor artwork would become “cultural rubbish” owing to the “invasion” of commercialisation and poor artistic planning.

Stuck between the criticism of the public and experts and the pressure from sponsors, the developer of this project -- the Tan Hanoi Art Company – and the project’s author – journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy – are seeking solutions.

The Ceramic Road was praised as an excellent idea, and received the Bui Xuan Phai Award for Love for Hanoi. However, it has suffered from criticism from both the public and experts with 28 percent of the workload, or 1800sq.m of paintings, having been completed.

Historian Le Van Lan, who persuaded the Hanoi People’s Committee to approve this project at the beginning, said that the Ceramic Road has gone in the wrong direction. He pointed out many big problems, including the commercialisation and the lack of consistency in the contents and the topics.

“I’m very sad because Mrs. Thuy’s outstanding idea has gone the wrong way from social pressure. It has been turned into a business affair and art has become a tool to make money,” the historian said.

“At the beginning, Thuy was honest and enthusiastic and believed that she could call for funding for this project from disinterested parties. But after nearly three years, the project has slipped out of her control.”

Artist Tran Luong, who is very keen on this project, said: “This is not art but a miscellaneous pot of soup. The contents of paintings are different from each other. Some sections feature ancient bronze drums and birds. Some others feature cubism art of the West and pictures by children.

“The Ceramic Road fails because first of all, it doesn’t have a general design. I’m afraid that it may become cultural rubbish that we will have to pay a lot of money to tear down,” he added.

To “repay” the “goodwill” of sponsors, with financial contributions said to account for three-fourths of the total funding, over 6000sq.m of dike walls have been divided into sections of around 100sq.m. These sections are “stamped” on the two tips by logos of sponsors.

Hoa, a helmet vendor on Tran Nhat Duat street, said: “I don’t know anything about painting. Previously I often stood at the Thach Ban section (the painting sponsored by Thach Ban company). I have recently moved to the Sunco section (the section of painting sponsored by Sunco).”

Naturally, logos of sponsors are remembered by viewers, instead of the topics of paintings.

Meanwhile, painter Bui Viet Doan, one of artists who have pursued this project since the beginning, explained: “The project developer’s goal is beautifying Hanoi by re-decorating the ugly dike wall, not creating a sublime artwork.”

Doan said the consistency of the painting is not the most important factor because “nobody could stand at one place and see the entire 6000sq.m painting”.

He said that this project requires huge investment and it is difficult to get money free. “In other countries, wall paintings have the names of sponsors but the names often appear under the paintings, not above or in the centre of paintings,” he said.

What is the solution for the Ceramic Road?

Painter Tran Luong said that this work cannot be repaired in terms of art, but in terms of historical aspects.

“This project has failed at the roots so it is the best to break it down to do it again and turn it into a true public artwork,” Luong said.

Historian Le Van Lan emphasised: “The themes and the artistic ideas of the Ceramic Road must be made clear. We have to reject the commercial element of this road.”

However, he admitted that the Ceramic Road is a significant contribution to Hanoi.

Journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy said that the project developers will arrange logos in a more appropriate manner.

“We implemented this project with our whole hearts and minds in difficult conditions. Art creation, especially public art, likes being a bride of hundreds of families. But we have tried to listen to all opinions and tried to correct within our ability,” Thuy said. 

VietNamNet/VNE