Creative Expression in Tran Le Huyen’s Horse Artworks
In the Year of the Horse - the animal symbolizes movement, good fortune, and renewed energy - Vietnamese artist Tran Le Huyen tells a cultural story through her vibrant “Phi ma” (Flying Horses) artworks.
In Vietnam’s rich repository of folk symbolism, the Long Ma, a mythical creature with a dragon’s head and a horse’s body, has long been associated with auspicious omens, virtuous talent, and national prosperity. On this imagery, Huyen developed an art project titled “Phi Ma”, reinterpreting traditional symbols through a contemporary lens.
Deeply devoted to folk culture, Huyen chose the Long Ma as a positive symbol for the Year of the Horse. “In this legend, the appearance of the Long Ma always heralds something good. “Phi Ma” is my way of sharing joy, good fortune, and fresh energy with the community in the new year,” she said.
Rather than working solely on traditional paper, Huyen deliberately breaks with convention. Together with her students, she experiments with unconventional materials such as glossy plastic sheets, brocade, glitter, colored fabrics, and contemporary patterns to create horses with striking new appearances. Beginning with a basic horse framework, each participant is free to design clouds, manes, eyes, and eyelashes according to their own imagination, resulting in “Phi Ma” works that carry distinct personal signatures.
For Huyen, culture should never be confined to a single form. She hopes participants can see themselves reflected in their creations, allowing tradition to be carried forward through new emotions and experiences. As a result, the “Phi ma” workshop has evolved into a dynamic, interactive space where artists, students, and children alike can tell their own stories using the image of the horse.
Beyond the creative experience, Huyen envisions broader possibilities. “These flying horses can become decorative art objects, or even cultural gifts for international friends, pieces that tell Vietnam’s story through the language of contemporary art,” she said.
From the mythical Long Ma of legend to today’s “Phi Ma”, the horse emerges as a powerful symbol of dialogue between tradition and modernity, cultural memory and contemporary creativity, capturing the spirit of a new generation in the spring of the Year of the Horse.
Story: Ngan Ha Photos: Khanh Long/VNP Translated by Nguyen Tuoi