Arts

Carved wood pictures show Vietnamese identity

Trinh Tuan Anh and his artisans at the Vietnamese Identity Workshop make wood pictures carved with precise details with a desire to create high-grade products imbued with Vietnamese identity.
Born in a carpentry craft village in Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province, Trinh Tuan Anh learned wood carving when he was a little boy.

He went to Ho Chi Minh City where he worked for a Japanese wood carver. Tuan Anh grasped the skills and methods of Japan’s original wood carving. He went to Japan for two years to work on his skills.

Returning home, Tuan Anh had the idea of combining Vietnamese traditional wood carving techniques with what he had learned from Japan to turn out products in his own style.

The trademark of  “Vietnamese Identity” built by Tuan Anh and his artisans for their carved wood products have a high value to cater to demanding clients.



Moving large wood planks to the carving area. Photo: Nguyen Luan


Cleaning details of a piece. Photo: Nguyen Luan


The stage of carving details requires extreme care as a minor error means the whole piece of wood is discarded.
Photo: Files 



The painting stage. Photo: Files 


Vietnamese Identity’s carved wood pieces on display at the Exhibition of Vietnam’s High Quality Products
in June 2017. Photo: Son Nghia
        
The themes of Vietnamese Identity’s products are diversified, ranging from natural landscapes, famous people, and legends, to Feng shui.

The time to complete a piece depends on its size and content. It can take a year for five or six artisans to finish a large-sized piece with many details. Such a product is expensive and buyers are selective.

The material value of a carved wood piece depends on the type of wood it is made from. But its artistic value lies in the skills of the artisan, which are shown in the shaping, thickness, sophistication, details and meaning of the work, Tuan Anh said.
  


Natural landscape. Photo: Nguyen Luan


Golden Goddess Bamboo. Photo: Nguyen Luan


Everlasting cedrus tree and flamingoes. Photo: Nguyen Luan


Safe sailing. Photo: Nguyen Luan


Nine old men in a discussion. Photo: Nguyen Luan 


Pigeons. Photo:  Nguyen Luan 


Fish and lotus. Photo: Nguyen Luan 


Chicken family. Photo: Nguyen Luan


Carved wood pictures are used for home decoration or as gifts.

After ten years making their own way in the wood carving business, artisans of Vietnamese Identity are proud to turn out hundreds of high-grade products which are not only popular in the home market but are exported to China, a country known for wood carving.

Vietnamese Identity also offers wooden products at lower prices to meet the various needs of customers. They include statues, home furniture, and products made from wood powder or artificial wood.

Vietnamese Identity  now has workshops and stores in Ha Nam province, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.

 
Story: Son Nghia - Photos: Nguyen Luan, Son Nghia & Files

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