The healing brush – art of “ The outsiders”
The exhibition "the Healing Brush" brings together artists from Hue. They are all from Tinh Truc Gia (The Peaceful Bamboo Family) – an organization who supports the disabled by collaborating and empowering them to create as artists. Tinh Truc Gia offers art as a therapy for those with mental impairment to help them integrate into the community through creative activities. These programs, which combine salesoriented exhibitions and open-painting workshops, have helped create a network of investors and collectors, especially lovers of Brut Art, which encompasses some of the most raw and exclusive artworks. These outstanding paintings are unconventional, individualistic, instinctive and hyperbolic in their nature. Regarding Brut Art, the painter Jean Dubuffet said, "this is such a type of art that manifests only creation." What he meant was that the artworks come from within and are self-inspired by the soul, uninjured by cultural happenings and societal influences. Brut Art favors spontaneity over an intellectual approach and promotes no contact with the mainstream art world – “the outsiders”, direct and raw, and always emphasizing the emotion rather than the intellect.
The healing brush – art of “ The outsiders” The exhibition "The Healing Brush" brings these "outsiders" onto the main stage, with the goal of reshaping our views on unconventional artists. Visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/giaoduccamxuc now for more information. You can reserve your favorite painting from now via email: netcochualanh@gmail.com. You can receive your reserved painting on the last day of the exhibition, June 30 at Idecaf. Set exclusively for this exhibition, prices will follow the following format: 40 x 40 = 2,500,000 VND 60 x 40 = 3,500,000 VND 100 x 100 = 14,000,000 VND
Nguyen Van Tien Tien is a deaf boy. During his early days at the Tinh Truc Gia (Peaceful Bamboo Family), Tien often found opportunities to isolate himself from the community. He always wanted to be alone, never interacting or playing with those around him. However, it was evident that he found happiness in encouragement from others, something his teachers noticed. They decided to take him to the Lacquer Workshop so that he could learn how to express himself. In the beginning, Tien found it difficult to distinguish the differences between color variations. Instead, he focused his energy on learning sign language and drawing simple shapes. As his education at Tinh Truc Gia progressed, he began to learn more and more quickly. He soon demonstrated that he was very gifted in both drawing freely and copying existing works. It was clear that Tien had always been an artist, but was just now learning to apply his unique form of creativity and perspective to his artwork, and in his own meticulous style. After more than seven years of living, studying and working at Tinh Truc Gia, Tien has emerged from the Lacquer Workshop as a talented painter. He is also noticeably more sociable, open-minded and confident in himself; he now participates in various activities with his friends and teachers. As a deaf boy, Tien has always faced many difficulties when attempting to describe his life through sign language. However, art has enabled him to visually express his deepest thoughts and reflections.
THE MUTUAL HOME 60 x 100 8,000,000 VND
Spending most of his time living and learning at Tinh Truc Gia, Tien considers the center his second home, where he is surrounded by all of his friends and teachers. Aside from his time spent in the workshop, Tien enjoys a large part of the day taking care of their shared home. He waters the garden, sweeps the courtyard, folds clothes, etc. Having to rely on sight and sign language as a means of communication has enabled Tien to discover his unique gift of perspective when observing the things and people at Tinh Truc Gia. This is illustrated in the painting by the “two people talking by the window” (according to Tien). The other person in The Mutual Home can be seen stretching his arms freely and comfortably, full of vigor. Tien explains that the image of this person is actually a depiction of himself, “I only smile happily when I can stand tall and stretch my arms out, just like in the painting.” Comfortable and free is how Tien feels about his life at Tinh Truc Gia. Minimum price. All the profit from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
The Street Scene portrays a city corner through Tien’s eyes. He illustrates the liveliness of various activities including policemen guiding traffic, the bustling of cars and bikes passing through and pedestrians taking a stroll. Even electrical cables were tactfully included in Tien’s detailed painting. The Street Scene captures and brings forth the dynamic energy that is found on city streets.
PLAYING MUSIC 60 X 60 4,500,000 VND Minimum price. All the profit from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
HERDING BUFFALO 40 X 60 3,500,000 VND
PLAYING MUSIC 40 X 60 3,500,000 VND
VILLAGE WELL 40 X 60 3,500,000 VND
RUNNING KITES 40 X 60 3,500,000 VND Minimum price. All the proямБt from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
SWIMMING IN THE SEA 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
LOTUS 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
Minimum price. All the proďŹ t from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
Huynh Thi Thanh Thao Before coming to the Tinh Truc Gia (Peaceful Bamboo Family), Thao studied at a special school of monastery. In 2009, Thao turned 15 years old and was considered too old to stay at the school. Her parents then sent her to Tinh Truc Gia. She has continued her studies at Tinh Truc Gia for the last 7 years and is the only girl in the Lacquer Workshop. During her early days at Tinh Truc Gia, Thao was extremely shy, sensitive and afraid to talk to others. Whenever she was overwhelmed with sadness, she would find an isolated corner to cry in, unable to express her thoughts, feelings and personal needs. Upon admittance to the Lacquer Workshop, Thao knew very little regarding color theory and only felt comfortable replicating sample pictures. Her drawings were monotonous, simple and repetitive. Over the course of 2 years at the workshop, Mr. Long patiently taught her to observe the interesting diversity that could be found in everyday life and the objects surrounding her. As he told stories to Thao, he also helped her learn how to extract mental images from them. Instead of emphasizing the obvious, he encouraged her to trust her imagination and gave her guidance on how to express her inner emotions and desires. The first turning-point in her development was when Thao drew the rain scene in a dry hot summer. This drawing was evidence that she had finally been able to uncage her imagination and reach a deeper level of self-understanding.
Huynh Thi Thanh Thao Today, Thao is much more knowledgeable about colors and also more active in work and language. She has developed her own way of looking at things, and her artworks are a direct reflection of this newfound perspective on daily life in and around Tinh Truc Gia. In the past, Thao would only wait for new tasks to be assigned upon finishing her existing ones. Now, she takes a more proactive approach and motivates herself to explore the themes that surround her, often drawing inspiration from temples and villages. The beautiful images of the natural scenery at Tinh Truc Gia are also presented in her works. Thao has gradually revealed herself as an extremely talented artist; besides painting, she has also learned to make embroideries, which she tackles effortlessly.
WILD CHAMOMILE 40 x 40 2,500,000 VND
After hearing the tale of the Wild Chamomile in which a little girl split ower petals praying for her mom to live longer, Thao felt a deep empathy for the love that she had for her mom. Through the story of the Wild Chamomile, Thao was compelled to expresses not only the love for her parents, but for the teachers at Tinh Truc Gia as well, who love and care for her everyday.
RAINBOW 100 x 100 14,000,000 VND
Thao utilizes colors in her painting to evoke an innate feeling of harmony. Individual colors are carefully applied so that they not only bring their own beauty, but also work in unison to create the unique charm of the Rainbow.
Minimum price. All the proďŹ t from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
WEATHERCOCK 50 x 50 3,500,000 VND
Also known under the name The Well, the Weathercock painting is a very stylized piece which draws inspiration from the newly dug well in Tinh Truc Gia’s biodynamic garden. Understanding the importance of having a centralized water system in the garden, Thao created an image of the Weathercock, representing the vibrant cycle of water.
LOTUS 50 x 50 3,500,000 VND Minimum price. All the proďŹ t from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
Le Xuan Lam Lam grew up as a disadvantaged kid in Hue. His family struggled to make ends meet. Lam’s father worked as a cyclo peddler in order to put bread on the table; his mom ran a small drink stall in Nghinh Luong Dinh park. At school, Lam always fell behind others his age and was notorious for being the “bad kid” in class: dreadful manners, habitual stealing, frequent lying and use of inappropriate language. However, Lam loved to draw and create. When he came to Tinh Truc Gia, the teachers spotted his potential and introduced him to the Lacquer Workshop, hoping that art would serve as a catalyst in his life for change and personal growth. After struggling through six years of learning various art tools, drawing techniques, and how to read and write, Lam is now able to handle work and continues to improve himself personally and professionally. Lam has grown into a confident, strong-willed individual who devotes his energy to his art, often choosing to paint lovely and unique images of paddy fields. Each painting acts as a vehicle for Lam to learn about life and further develop his perspective of the surrounding world. Art also cultivates his self-understanding, allowing him to better express himself through his work. Each of Lam’s paintings is an accurate reflection of the sincere and lively soul that dwells within him - they all tell the beautiful story of his daily life.
PADDY FIELD 50 x 50 3,500,000 VND
BUFFALO 120 x 120 17,000,000 VND
The students and teachers at Tinh Truc Gia often go to the paddy field to harvest hay to use in their biodynamic garden. Harvesting hay is quite a labor-intensive task that requires some strength to do. Even though Lam already has a job in the Lacquer Workshop, he is always more than happy to help in the garden. Working in the garden has given Lam the inspiration to draw his own rendition of the very simple and familiar image of a paddy field. The Paddy Field depicts a paddy field ripe for harvest, an iconic Buffalo and the silhouette of a house in the distance.
Minimum price. All the profit from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
RIVERSIDE HOUSE I 40 x 60 3,500,000 VND
RIVERSIDE HOUSE II 40 x 60 3,500,000 VND
Lam grew up surrounded by the tranquil image of boats floating on the romantic Huong river, as well as Hue's ancient structures and culture like Phu Van Lau, Ngo Mon. Every weekend, after leaving Tinh Truc Gia, Lam cycles home and stops by his mother's drink stall in Nghinh Luong park to lend a hand. It was the image of her drink stall and the surrounding scenery that gave Lam the inspiration to draw. The two paintings, Riverside House 1 & 2, were drawn in the Fall of 2015. When he made the first sketch, Lam told instructor Long, “The houses in this sketch are the ones alongside the Huong river. The big building is Hue’s Council of People and is across the river bank that I see every day when I help mom out with the drink stall.” Then Lam laughed and said, “Is my painting good?” as if he was asking for praise from the instructor that had been working with him all this time.
Minimum price. All the profit from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
LOTUS 40 x 60 3,500,000 VND
Minimum price. All the proďŹ t from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
Phan Dinh Cong Cong is a deaf student at the Tinh Truc Gia (Peaceful Bamboo Family). He began his education in a special learning class with Mrs. Trinh at Thuan Thanh primary school when he was 6 years old. When he turned 15 years old, he began to study at Tinh Truc Gia. Cong was very fortunate to grow up in favorable conditions, having both a special education from an early age as well as a long-term, caring educator. Cong stumbled into the beginning of his artistic journey by innocently attempting lacquer paintings with no formal guidance. Even in his early work, people could see special elements in his paintings despite not having any professional experience. As he began his art education, he had the difficult task of learning the alphabet while also trying remember names and terms of the tools he was using. When Cong was still a minor, he met Mr. Long, who taught him philosophies in life and how to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong. Today, Cong helps other slow students and beginners in class by working as an assistant to Mr. Long in the Lacquer Workshop. After some time, Cong has learned the skills necessary to successfully complete his lacquer paintings from start to finish by himself. Cong is an enthusiastic and cheerful person, making an effort to be sociable with everyone. He is regarded the eldest brother at Tinh Truc Gia.
SAILING 120 x 120 17,000,000 VND
Réalisant que l'esquisse de Cong; Sailing a quelques similitudes avec le style de la peinture du village Sinh, son professeur Mr long, lui a fournit des expliquations sur cet art traditionnel. Le travail de Cong ne montre pas seulement sa vision d'artiste, mais aussi une forte impression du style de peinture de village Sinh: lescouleurs : les cinq couleurs de Hue les contours: de tradition simple et rustique peinte sur une surface en bois les caractères: visages similaires, pas de distinction entre les hommes et les femmes, peu détaillées pour décrire les quatre membres, mais très spécifique en ce qui concerne les cheveux. BUDDHA 50 x 50 3,500,000 VND
While studying at Tinh Truc Gia, Cong learned meditation and visited a few temples in Hue. After a while, his teachers found that Cong often gravitated toward drawing the Buddha and meditating characters. He finished a number of paintings following this theme. In this particular piece, Cong uses the dynamic color technique (the painting has only one color but in various different shades) quite skillfully. Minimum price. All the profit from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
LOTUS 1 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
NENUPHAR 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
UNDER THE MOONLIGHT 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
FAMILY 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
SUNRISE ON THE BEACH 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
GREEN GEM PLANT 50 X 50 3,500,000 VND
Minimum price. All the proямБt from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund
LOTUS 2 40 x 60 3,500,000 VND
Minimum price. All the proďŹ t from the exhibition will go to Tinh Truc Gia fund