{"id":8496,"date":"2026-05-22T16:42:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T09:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/?post_type=journal&p=8496"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T09:57:10","slug":"artist-pham-kieu-phuc-tracing-the-hidden-currents-of-tang-an","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/en\/journal\/artist-pham-kieu-phuc-tracing-the-hidden-currents-of-tang-an\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac: Tracing the Hidden Currents of \u201cT\u00e0ng \u1ea8n\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1779430860947{background-image: url(http:\/\/battrang.museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LAI_9455.jpg?id=8524) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”20rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”48rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”3rem”][vc_empty_space height=”3rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

Artist Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac: Tracing the Hidden Currents of \u201cT\u00e0ng \u1ea8n\u201d<\/h1>\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]

The conversation with artist Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac<\/span> took place at her home studio, a space filled with natural light where blank canvases waited to be layered with collage papers, alongside finished works already marked by sun, wind, and time.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

She describes these colors and forms as \u201ca conscious search within chance\u201d \u2014 a state that can only be recognized through an ongoing inner restlessness.<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Words: H\u00e0 Tu\u1ea5n Minh<\/strong>\r\nEditor: V\u0169 Chi Lam<\/strong>\r\nPhotograph: L\u00ea Lai<\/strong><\/h5>\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=”8150″ 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 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 el_class=”no-indent”]

For Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac, there is a clear boundary between coincidence and creative spontaneity. Only when one remains willing to search for the hidden depths within \u201cT\u00e0ng \u1ea8n\u201d \u2014 a latent inner realm shaped by memory, instinct, and the subconscious \u2014 can moments of revelation truly emerge.<\/p>[\/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=”8504″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Artist Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/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=”8080″ 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_column_text]\r\n

From H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i to H\u1ed9i An<\/span><\/h4>\r\n \r\n

After spending 18 years with Module 7 in Hanoi, you decided to close that chapter and move to H\u1ed9i An in 2018. Could you share more about that transition?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

It was an instinctive decision. There was a period when I felt as though I was doing nothing, but looking back, I realize it was actually a time of planting seeds. Sometimes we need to pause in order to sow new ideas into our consciousness and artistic thinking. Living in X\u00f3m Chi\u00eau, H\u1ed9i An, surrounded by seasonal rhythms, nature, and silence, I found many inner layers within myself being cultivated more deeply \u2014 things that the fast pace of urban life in Hanoi had previously hidden.<\/p>\r\n

How did the agricultural rhythm and the \u201chalf-urban, half-rural\u201d atmosphere of H\u1ed9i An influence your artistic sensibility? <\/strong><\/p>\r\n

I live in a village where there are still two rice harvests each year, followed by a resting season. The rhythm of weather and cultivation appears very clearly in everyday life. Unconsciously, it awakened layers of memory and instinct that I had neglected while focusing on business. This transformation was not something I consciously planned at first. Everything felt vague in the beginning. But as I continued following that inner direction, I realized I was being nourished into returning to my true self \u2014 the part inside me that had long been struggling to emerge.<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_single_image image=”8510″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Giao Ch\u1ec9 \u2014 Ceramics and the Primitive Forms of Memory<\/span><\/h4>\r\n \r\n

You have often spoken about your deep connection to ceramics. What is the biggest difference between your earlier practice and your work today?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

I have loved ceramics since I was a student. Back then, I was constantly bringing pottery back from B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng. I was especially drawn to traditional ceramics \u2014 hand-painted cobalt blue glazes or ash glazes carrying the quiet beauty of time. The biggest difference is that during the Module 7 years, I approached ceramics primarily as a designer: I created drawings and handed them over to artisans. Now, I work directly with clay myself. That direct physical interaction gives me an entirely different understanding of the material. It no longer remains only on the surface; it enters life more deeply.<\/p>\r\n

In a previous interview with ELLE Decoration Vietnam<\/span>, you described ceramics and bronze as materials that \u201cbecome more beautiful over time,\u201d and spoke about your interest in \u201cthe accumulated knowledge of culture.\u201d What allows an artwork to truly touch those values?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Ceramics are actually very difficult to reinvent because they are materials shaped through centuries of accumulated knowledge. For me, the value of an artwork lies in what it can convey about the culture of a people. A work truly \u201ctouches\u201d something when it moves beyond the material itself and expresses generations of craftsmanship through a contemporary form. That is the direction I want to pursue: elevating craft into art through long-established know-how, rather than creating work driven solely by subjective ego.<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8114″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Giao Ch\u1ec9 – Yang Vase<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8136″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n
Giao Ch\u1ec9 – Yin Vase<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” 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=”6rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section el_class=”.grid-collection”][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-4 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]

What was the real point of connection that led you to collaborate with\u00a0 <\/span>B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Atelier on the Giao Ch\u1ec9<\/i> collection?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

It happened very naturally. I was sitting at a caf\u00e9 in X\u00f3m Chi\u00eau, H\u1ed9i An, when I came across photographs of ceramic boots made by B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Atelier. My immediate reaction was: \u201cWow \u2014 this could truly stand on an international stage.\u201d What impressed me was how the works embodied both the technical difficulty and the refinement of ceramic craftsmanship, while still existing as strong contemporary art objects. That first impression became the powerful push that later led me to meet V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng<\/span> and begin developing the Giao Ch\u1ec9<\/i> collection together.<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_single_image image=”8154″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Giao Ch\u1ec9 Plate<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]

You describe Giao Ch\u1ec9<\/i> as something \u201clatent\u201d or \u201chidden.\u201d Why did this image appear so suddenly and materialize so quickly?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

It comes from stories my father told me when I was a child, even though I had never truly seen the image itself. The crossed big toe associated with ancient Vietnamese people remained compressed somewhere deep in my subconscious, like an origin point. When the right moment arrived, it surfaced very quickly through four sculptural forms. I believe what we do not know is far greater than what we do know. And when we manage to open the correct door into \u201cT\u00e0ng \u1ea8n,\u201d everything emerges very quickly because it has always existed there.<\/p>\r\n

The visual language of the Giao Ch\u1ec9<\/i> collection strongly references Primitive Art. Why did you choose this direction?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The origin of the Giao Ch\u1ec9<\/i> foot belongs more to sculpture than functional ceramics. I was inspired by prehistoric drawings and primitive geometric forms as a way of spelling out an early visual language once again. When translated into ceramics, the work required both artistic sculptural thinking and the layered high-temperature glazing techniques of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng artisans, fired at 1300\u00b0C. That combination creates objects that feel both ancient and contemporary at the same time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

\u201cI believe what we do not know is far greater than what we do know. And when we open the right door into \u2018T\u00e0ng \u1ea8n,\u2019 everything appears very quickly because it has always been there.\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8110″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8112″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8144″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8126″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8138″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8130″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8140″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”8146″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5\/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-12″ css=”.vc_custom_1640777591152{padding-right: 2rem !important;padding-left: 2rem !important;}” el_class=”no-indent”][vc_single_image image=”8106″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”0.5rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]

You have an interesting way of describing \u201cchance\u201d within your collage paintings and ceramic works. How do you distinguish accidental chance from creative chance?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Creative chance is a conscious search within chance itself. If you do not carry a constant inner longing, you will never recognize those moments. For example, when I leave canvases exposed to sunlight and wind so that time can transform the dyed paper surfaces, it is not completely random. There is always an intention behind it. When a foundation prepared over a long period finally meets the moment of placing collage fragments together, and those two elements align, that is the harmony of creative spontaneity.<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”8116″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Giao Ch\u1ec9 Plate and Incense Holder<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”8118″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n
Giao Ch\u1ec9 Plate and Giao Ch\u1ec9 Vase (Yin and Yang version)<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”8128″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n
Giao Ch\u1ec9 Collection<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”8142″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”1rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n
Giao Ch\u1ec9 Plate<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

Formlessness and New Cycles<\/span><\/h4>\r\n \r\n

You have spoken before about the concept of \u201cFormless.\u201d How has Buddhist practice influenced your artistic life?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u201cFormlessness\u201d is an extremely broad concept, and I do not think I am capable of fully explaining it. But Buddhist practice has certainly influenced me. In Buddhist philosophy, there are two poles: desire and liberation. We exist somewhere between them. Understanding where I stand within that process has helped me reposition my art. It is no longer only about personal ego. It becomes a continuation of long-accumulated wisdom and cultural refinement.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_single_image image=”8512″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_single_image image=”8514″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”8516″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”8518″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”8520″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”8522″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][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]

There is also an interesting connection between your life and the number seven. Could you tell us more about that relationship?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

It comes from numerology. The number seven has followed me in a very strange way \u2014 from the name Module 7 to my phone numbers and bank accounts, which somehow all add up to seven. Mathematically, seven is a unique prime number without repetition. For me, it represents non-repetition and the desire to constantly search for something new. Every seven years, my life seems to enter a major turning point. This year marks my seventh year in H\u1ed9i An, and it feels as though another cycle is beginning again. Still, I now find myself moving toward something gentler \u2014 perhaps toward the number eight instead. (laughs)<\/i><\/p>\r\n

After seven years of returning to yourself, do you see the launch of this collection as a comeback or a continuation?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

I think it is more of a continuation. Artistic practice is a continuous flow; it never truly stops. This launch may appear as a return after years without public presentation, but fundamentally it is a continuation of long-standing reflections on heritage and the subconscious, now made visible. At this moment, I feel fulfilled \u2014 not because of external success, but because I have lived truthfully with myself and finally touched the things I have been searching for.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n \r\n\r\nThank you, Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac, for sharing your thoughts.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-4″][vc_column_text]\r\n

Hanoi, March 2026\r\nAn exclusive interview\u00a0 for B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Journal<\/strong><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text el_class=”no-indent”]\r\n

About B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Atelier (BTMA)\r\n<\/strong>BTMA is the nearly 50-year-old ceramic atelier of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum, run by members of the founding family as a way to continue the legacy of the late People\u2019s Artisan\u00a0V\u0169 Th\u1eafng. The atelier researches and refines elements of traditional Vietnamese ceramics\u2014forms, glazes, and motifs\u2014and reinterprets them through contemporary design.\u00a0Alongside preserving the works that shaped the founder\u2019s legacy, BTMA collaborates with artists across disciplines to develop new collections grounded in heritage and shaped by the creative spirit of the present.<\/h5>\r\n
Artist Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac\r\n<\/strong>With over two decades of practice in product design, Ph\u1ea1m Ki\u1ec1u Ph\u00fac is the founder of Module 7. Building on her design background, she has expanded into independent artistic practice, notably through her collage series Into The Unknown (T\u00e0ng \u1ea8n)<\/i>, where reflections on memory and identity are explored through a contemporary visual language.<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_single_image image=”8508″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
\n
\n\t