Have you visited the Viet Nam! From Myth to Modernity exhibition at Asian Civilisations Museum yet?

Posted by Angeline under Buildings and Monuments, Exhibitions, Museums/Heritage Galleries, Reflections
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The weather was so scorching hot recently! It was pretty lucky that there was slight drizzle on this Thurs afternoon; making the surrounding less burning and dry. And of course, this signals the best time for me to go out and visit the recent events that are happening at the museums. To start the ball rolling, let me tell you what I did while I was at the ACM.

At the main lobby, there’s the big logo of this event The Viet Nam! From Myth to Modernity. It is bright red in colour and prominently placed in the centre so that you won’t miss it. The exhibition for this event is located at the second level and is at the most inner gallery, after the permanent galleries. You can easily spot the entrance after walking though the permanent galleries- so no worries about “getting lost”.

This is the entrance to the exhibition. I am impressed with the lighting effect on the floor. Really spice up the mood and add on to the atmosphere of the theme.

If you think that the lighting effects end here, then you are wrong. There’s an even more impressive one the moment you step in- Dragon lighting effects. Do you know why the dragon is the most important and sacred symbol in Vietnam? This is because according to an ancient myth of the Vietnamese people, they believe that they are descended from a dragon and a mountain nymph.

As I observe the precious artefacts that are on display, I spotted one very endearing one. It is an elephant-shaped vessel which is made of bronze. It is mentioned that although animal-shaped bronze vessels are quite usual, an elephant shaped one appears to be rare.

Another artefact which is worth taking a look is the Kinnara with Drum. I find it quite exotic to have a human head and arms with the body of a bird. After reading the explanation, I found out that “they were semi-divine beings who were incorporated from ancient folk beliefs into the Hindu and Buddhist traditions in India.” You may also be asking why there was a drum on the figure. Well, this is so in order to be in accordance with its role as musicians in the court of Kubera, the Hindu God of Wealth.

One other interesting piece of artefact is this Garuda and Naga sandstone. With one look, many will think that it is from Indonesia. Well, the name Garuda may refer to the mythical bird that appears in Hindu and Buddhist mythology but this artefact actually comes from Vietnam with a long history that traces back to the 12th to 13th century. If you take a closer look at it, it is a bird-faced creature holding a naga (snake) in its raised hands. And I believe that they were normally used for the corners of temple buildings as architectural features.

Out of all the artefacts, there is one which I loved most. It’s the rectangular tray with Scenes of the Three Kingdoms inscribed on the outer wall. The reason why I find it to be magnificent is that the inlay of the black lacquer tray is made of mother-of-pearl! And it is believed that mother of pearl represents wealth, prosperity and good luck.

What is also worth-noting is the section on education and scholars. There was mention of the key role of Confucianism in the life and values of the Vietnamese court and Vietnamese scholar class when there was strong Chinese influence in the early centuries.

Court Robe Dragon and Badges. It is highly likely that the court robes belonged to the imperial family since dragons and phoenixes are reserved for the royalty.

Coming to the modern Vietnamese items, there is this beautifully done portrait of the late Vietnamese statement Ho Chi Minh, which consists of just combination of stamps. Now this is what I call creative.

Finally, there is also another modern art work called “This is what I heard” by Le Quoc Viet. It is a woodblock print and calligraphy work and what attracted my attention was the centre piece where the traditional Chinese and Nom Calligraphy are interwoven with an image of the Buddha’s head.

After seeing these artefacts, I felt that I really got to understand more about the Vietnamese culture without having the need to book a ticket to Vietnam. But of course, it also invoked a sense of curiosity for me to find out more about Vietnam. Maybe I could be plan to have a holiday there next year. Who would like to join me?

Tags: Vietnam: From Myth to Modernity, Asian Civilisations Museum