{"id":3455,"date":"2024-04-14T18:10:08","date_gmt":"2024-04-14T18:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/journal\/vu-khanh-tung-for-once-i-managed-to-fill-in-my-fathers-shoes\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T15:41:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T08:41:47","slug":"vu-khanh-tung-for-once-i-managed-to-fill-in-my-fathers-shoes","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/en\/journal\/vu-khanh-tung-for-once-i-managed-to-fill-in-my-fathers-shoes\/","title":{"rendered":"V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng: “For once, I managed to fill in my father\u2019s shoes”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng: “For once, I managed to fill in my father\u2019s shoes” <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”1rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”3rem”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-md-5 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n
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\u201cCountless is the number of shoes I have put myself in, some fit, some do not; but to this day, I realized, the ones I best fill in were those of my dad.”<\/h4>\r\nAt a brief glance, T\u00f9ng would seem\u2026 somewhat slow. Not slow in the sense that he is a slacker, but more of a \u201cslow and steady wins the race\u201d type of person. Thus, this early Millennial may sometimes strike you as an ironically senior man, whose thinking is always thorough and precise, and whose actions always align with what he sets out to do. Such is one of his most prominent features.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-2 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-offset-4 vc_col-xs-4″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_single_image image=”511″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-3″ css=”.vc_custom_1635415240768{padding-right: 2rem !important;padding-left: 2rem !important;}”][vc_column_text]\r\n
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Or rather, he is swift in his own unique way, especially when the situation calls for it.<\/h3>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-2 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”10rem”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]\r\n
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\r\n\r\nTake his \u201cTHE B\u00c1T TR\u00c0NG CERAMIC BOOTS. AN INSPIRATION FROM ITALY\u201d exhibition for example. Held in Casa Italia between last April and May, the exhibition made quite the stir in the community. Its label may make it seem like it was carried out in a carefree manner, but the making of it was anything but. For months on end, Tung had to struggle with the project. The perfectionist that he is, Tung had to make sure that everything connects with one another, as to fully convey the narrative that needs to be told, in his own unique way.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-6 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-6 vc_col-xs-8″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_single_image image=”1596″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″ offset=”vc_col-md-2 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-3″][vc_single_image image=”1194″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”14rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”8rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_single_image image=”1641″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n
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\r\n\r\nIt was an exhibition that couldn\u2019t be any more minimalistic. The collection included exactly twelve items, all of which were the works of Tung\u2019s father – the late National Artist, V\u0169 Th\u1eafng. Twelve items, twelve ceramic boots, each neatly displayed in an elaborate, yet cozy confines of Casa Italia. It only took a brief glance to recognize the sheer professionalism and intricacy of the organizer. Not only the distinctive values of the artworks were brought to the table, the exhibition also redefined the modern presentation of art through its meticulous appearance, careful composition, concise storytelling and unified brand identity.\r\n\r\n\u201cOf all the exhibitions that I have visited since my trip to Europe, I have never seen anything quite elegant and meticulous such as this.\u201d – said Nguy\u1ec5n Vi\u1ec7t Nam, founder of TiredCity, a creative fashion brand that have recently garnered a prominent amount of attention from the young people of Vietnam – \u201cIt\u2019s not just the artworks that is stunning, but also the framework of the exhibition space, and even the postcards that came along with it. The composite of them all formed a whole and unified identity.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe number twelve was also quite a surprising choice to anyone who is familiar with the brand of V\u0169 Th\u1eafng \u2014 one of the only two National Artisan of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng, with hundreds of art pieces over the 50 years span of his career to his name, many of them receiving prestigious awards and setting monumental records. Is this choice one derived from careful consideration, as \u201cless is more\u201d; or is it a display of pride at its core.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_single_image image=”1591″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”1604″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”1625″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\nT\u00f9ng does not think so. Riddled with meanings this exhibition may be, it is all simply \u201cthe most special collection that my father leaves behind, for it is what bridges my career and his, […]\u201d – as T\u00f9ng puts it – \u201cWhat seemed like a simple assignment turned out to be not easy at all, especially to an artisan who is inherently distant to the fashion world. What\u2019s more, this project was akin to a \u2018package\u2019 between two people whose professions couldn\u2019t be any more different.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn his early years, T\u00f9ng chose to major in Japanese linguistics, but as one thing led to another, he came to journalism as both a producer and an art director, a profession reserved for the adrift, yet leaderly likes such as him. T\u00f9ng adds: \u201cAlthough I am indeed the only son of an artisan, I could never imagine myself following the footsteps of my father. I want to spend my years here and there, rather than always staying in one place, having my life constantly revolving around contracts and ceramics, like my father\u2019s and mother\u2019s.\u201d\r\n\r\nBut everything changed in October 2016, when his father abruptly passed away in the middle of the construction of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum. What was left behind from the career that spanned 50 years of the artisan\u2019s life is numerous priceless collections and masterpieces, many of which were one-of-a-kind. Despite a plethora of offers, the National Artist refused to sell away these works of his, for he had a grand design in his mind for all of them: the very first private museum in Vietnam, reserved for the ceramic of the famous B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng village. However, the legacy of V\u0169 \u0110\u1ee9c Th\u1eafng also poses a great challenge. Before the colossal burden of inheriting his father\u2019s will, T\u00f9ng could not help but be stuck in a state of disorientation and uncertainty, since the path he had chosen could not have been any more different from his father\u2019s. Regardless, in the midst of this predicament, T\u00f9ng came to realize the secret plan his father had hatched for him: to let him explore the world to his (and his father\u2019s) desires, and when the time come, he would be ready, with what he managed to learn on his own, and what he was imparted with since boyhood.\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_single_image image=”1313″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n
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\r\n\r\nNowadays, T\u00f9ng can be seen with a rebranded business card, one with an additional title: \u201cDirector of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum of Viet Soul Art\u201d. His first prominent remark as director was \u201cTHE B\u00c1T TR\u00c0NG CERAMIC BOOTS. AN INSPIRATION FROM ITALY\u201d, which also marked the launch of the B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum website (www.battrang.museum<\/a>). This is the digital platform dedicated to all of the fine ceramic art of Vietnam, especially those of the historic ceramic village of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng. Above all is the long-term plan of constructing B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum, which aims to house and display hundreds of precious relics, including many invaluable antique collections, as well as the priceless masterpieces of the late V\u0169 Th\u1eafng.\r\n\r\n\u201cCountless is the number of shoes I have put myself in, some fit, some do not; but to this day, I realized, the ones I best fill in were those of my dad. Though I know I do not possess his talents nor his foresight, I do hope that I share his vision\u2026\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd thus, were the shoes to walk a thousand miles in. As cruel and distant as life and death can be, this bond is the one thing they can never do part.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Words\u00a0Th\u01b0 Qu\u1ef3nh\r\n<\/strong>\u00a0Photos L\u00ea Lai, \u0110\u1ed7 S\u1ef9\r\n<\/strong>Translation T\u1ed1ng M\u1ea1nh<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

DEP MAGAZINE<\/a>, ISSUE 268, August 2022<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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Four Women Designers in Dialogue with Ceramic Heritage<\/h4>\n \n\t
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