From 11–14 June 2026, Heritage in Bloom opens to the public at Union Square, Ho Chi Minh City.
Following the collaboration between Bát Tràng Museum Atelier (BTMA) and Sulwhasoo through the Blooming Moon Jar for Beauty from Culture in 2025, Sulwhasoo’s global Crafted From Culture initiative continues through new collaborations across traditional crafts and contemporary design.
Location Tầng LL2 Union Square, TP.HCM
Time 11/6 /2026 – 14/6/2026
Everyday 9:00am – 10pm
Bringing together master artisans and contemporary artists, the exhibition spans a range of crafts, from Thanh Tiên paper flowers, traditional royal pillows and Huế enamelwork to lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay and embroidery. Rather than presenting heritage as something fixed in the past, the exhibition explores how traditional knowledge, techniques and aesthetics continue to find new forms in the present.
Heritage as a Source of Creation
This idea is introduced through Moon Jar Revolution, presented by Bát Tràng Museum Atelier.
The story begins with a unique object: the Unique Ceramic Boot created sixteen years ago by the late People’s Artisan Vũ Đức Thắng. While its form references a Western fashion accessory, the work was executed using the techniques and decorative language of traditional Vietnamese blue-and-white ceramics.
More than a singular experiment, the piece marked the beginning of a direction that would later define BTMA: bringing the techniques, glazes and decorative motifs of traditional Vietnamese ceramics into new forms and functions for contemporary life.
That spirit continues throughout many of BTMA’s works. If the ceramic boot represents a meeting between Western fashion and Vietnamese ceramic traditions, Blooming Moon Jar Chandelier begins with the Moon Jar, an iconic form in Korean ceramic history, interpreted through Bát Tràng ceramic techniques and developed into a chandelier for contemporary interiors.
Works such as the Tulipiere Tower – Fountain Edition similarly demonstrate BTMA’s approach to forms originating from different cultural contexts while remaining rooted in the techniques, glazes and decorative motifs of Vietnamese ceramics.
From this foundation, BTMA has continued to expand its dialogue through collaborations with artists and designers working across different disciplines. Visitors will encounter Ballerina Lamp – Fountain Edition, created with Leap Art, TOGAN Lamp, developed with architect Nguyễn Hà of Beaulo Design, and works from the Rồng Phố collection created with designer Diệu Anh. Each project shows how traditional Vietnamese ceramics can continue to find a place in new creative fields while remaining connected to their origins.
Companions in the Process
At Heritage in Bloom, the role of the curator extends beyond observation. It becomes one of dialogue, exchange and collaboration.
Throughout the exhibition process, a consistent principle guided the curatorial approach: not to impose new directions, but to identify connections between the individual language of each artist and the stories carried by traditional crafts.
The same spirit of dialogue was also present between co-curators Hà Đỗ and Vũ Khánh Tùng. Their ongoing exchanges and differing perspectives helped shape many of the exhibition’s ideas. One question raised by Hà Đỗ — “Why not create a chandelier from ceramics?” — became the starting point for BTMA’s research and development of the Blooming Moon Jar Chandelier.
Few visitors may know that the creative dialogue between the two curators began nearly two decades ago. Their shared interest in bringing traditional materials into contemporary life first emerged through a project exploring the relationship between ceramics and fashion. That brief led Vũ Khánh Tùng to work alongside his father, the late People’s Artisan Vũ Đức Thắng, on a collection of ceramic boots.
Today, the Unique Ceramic Boot displayed in the exhibition serves not only as an early experiment, but also as a lasting connection between two creative people whose conversations continue to this day.
The late People’s Artisan Vũ Đức Thắng often said:
“Everything needs a foundation and a source. From there, each generation continues and elevates what came before.”
Perhaps this is why values shaped over generations can still find a place in contemporary life — moving with time and continuing to bloom.
