Hanoi (VNA) - While other artists usebrushes and paint, Nguyen Thu Huyen uses needles, thread and cloth to createher work.

Painstakingly, she combines pieces of cloth tocreate beautiful collages. Her art is like no other.

Looking at her works, people often wonder if sheincorporates paint in her pieces, but actually, she doesn’t. All the works arestitched from hundreds of pieces of cloth.

She has opened her first solo exhibition inHanoi to celebrate 10 years of devoting herself to the art of quilting.

The exhibition, I Paint My Dream, hasattracted many people. Huyen is happy that 20 of her works have received praisefrom visitors and experts.

The artworks include still life, portraits andlandscapes. They are made from various types of fabric such as denim, silk,cotton and linen.

Art critic Nguyen Hai Yen said she couldn’t stopstaring at the painting Beautiful Flower. “Using cloth, Huyen portrays ayoung girl swinging in a colourful cloud,” said Yen. “The artwork reaches thepeak of harmony and peacefulness.”

“In other pieces, Huyen uses brocade to depictthe tranquil landscape of the mountainous region, and a Lo Lo ethnic babysleeping peacefully in her mother’s sling.”

Yen appreciated the way Huyen uses cloth tocreate images and emotions in her work.

“Quilting is popular around the world. InVietnam, Huyen is the youngest quilting artist,” said Hoang Anh,editor-in-chief of the Vietnam Fine Arts magazine.

“Quilting is used widely in the fashion industry.However, not many people can use quilting to make an independent artwork whichmeets the criteria of fine art.”

“Huyen has successfully used fabric as amaterial to create artwork. She has found her own way of pursuing art.”

Anh has followed the creative process andadmired the artist’s efforts and creativity.

“Brush and paint can graphically depict formsand shapes, but it’s not easy to use needle, thread and cloth to pick out thesmall details on the people’s faces or a landscape.”

“Huyen is sophisticated and has diligentlycombined pieces of cloth to create different subjects. I can’t believe thatfabric can create so many things in a very aesthetic way.”

Her dream

Huyen was born in 1988 in the northern provinceof Hung Yen. She graduated from Hanoi Open University in 2011, and from theHanoi Industrial Fine Arts University in 2014. Now she owns a fine arts centrefor children and works as a lecturer in fashion design at a university inHanoi.

She always dreamed of becoming an artist whileshe was studying at the university. If people want to learn lacquer or oilpaintings, they can easily find a class. But quilting is still new in Vietnam,and Huyen had to find her own way to discover it.  

She started with scraps of fabric. Like a younggirl playing with a doll, she learned to combine the scraps together to makeimages.

She went to tailors’ shops to collect scraps offabric before they were thrown out. She carefully washed them and used them asmaterials to make postcards and small souvenirs. Gradually, she made smallcollages and then larger ones.

“People laughed at me for carrying a largebundle of scrap fabric on my motorbike,” she said.

She started her career with a start-up projectat university. With a budget of 300,000 VND (13 USD), she bought frames,needles, scissors, thread and glue to create her first work.

The main material, cloth, can be sourced forfree from tailors’ shops. Her project entitled Unforgotten ScrapFabric received much encouragement from lecturers and friends.

Now she invests more in her works. She tries tofind different types of fabric. Then she washes them and applies a layer ofglue on the dried fabric to make it durable.

“I still have the first artworks I made 10 yearsago, and they are still as vibrant as the day I created them,” said Huyen.

Huyen challenges herself by using differenttypes of fabric. No matter if the fabric is thick or thin, soft or firm, smoothor rough, the materials offer the artist a path to discovery.

“I try to use many kinds of fabric to bringspecial effects to my work. Audiences also have different emotions andexperiences when they contemplate my collages.”

Huyen said her strong point is the ability touse colours and form strokes and blocks. The skill helps create differentdimensions for her works.

To start with, Huyen created her works based onthe patterns on the fabric. Now she is more creative. Huyen creates patterns byherself. She combines the cloth by weaving and arranging them to form imagesand figures.

For her, the first solo exhibition has not beenjust for fun. It’s not an experiment. It’s a serious process which she hadpoured sweat and tears into.

There have been times Huyen thought she wouldhave to give up due to bad health or lack of money.

“When I overcome my problems, I pick up thescissors and ‘paint’ like never before, like I won’t be able to painttomorrow,” said Huyen.

“I continue telling the stories of my life. Icontinue bringing my dreams, my emotions and beautiful moments in life to thecollages.”

“Thanks to quilting, I’ve forgotten my sorrow,pain and disadvantages,” she said. “I am happy to work because quilting helpsme make a dream come true and boosts my confidence.”

"I just want to spread the good things inlife to more and more people in a different way from otherartists."-VNA