Hanoi (VNA) - The ninth edition of the Buddhist art exhibition “Sen dau ha” (Lotus in early summer) opened in Hanoi on May 24 during celebrations for Vesak 2570, offering a contemplative artistic space inspired by Buddhist compassion, wisdom and inner peace.
Organised by the Central Cultural Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), the exhibition features works by the Mac Huong Buddhist Artists Group in collaboration with artists from the UNESCO Hanoi Fine Arts Centre. Held amid the lotus season of early summer, the exhibition serves not only as a showcase of paintings and sculptures but also as a space for artists and visitors to reconnect with mindfulness, serenity and the beauty of the human spirit.
Opening the exhibition, Venerable Thich Minh Hien, deputy head of the VBS Central Cultural Board, said that the human mind is the greatest of all painters.
This master does not paint with a brush on canvas or paper, but uses thoughts, emotions, and karmic forces to create all myriad phenomena. “Everything we see and experience - from a single flower, a human face, to the entire phenomenal universe - is the creation of our own mind. Hence the saying: ‘One flower, one world; one leaf, one Tathagata’.”
For Buddhist artists, the brush and colours are not only tools of artistic creation, but also noble means to contemplate the inner mind and transmit wholesome values to sentient beings, he said.
Venerable Thich Minh Hien underlined that a true artist must not only possess skillful hands but also cultivate a pure mind, a compassionate heart, and a life of awakening. When the mind is serene and settled, art gains profound depth. When the mind is oriented toward goodness, the artwork possesses the power to transform hearts. And when art is united with the spirit of enlightenment, each painting becomes a fragrant lotus, contributing to the dissemination of the Right Dharma in this world, he affirmed.
The exhibition features 58 works by 36 artists across a wide range of materials and styles, from lacquer, oil and silk paintings to watercolour and sculpture. The artworks range from realism and abstraction to symbolic and meditative expressions, with each piece reflecting a spiritual journey.
Among the highlights are the watercolour painting “Chin rong tam phat” (Nine dragons bathing the Buddha) by Venerable Thich Tu Quang, the oil painting “Luc do mau Tara” by artist Nguyen Thi Nhan (Dharma name Phap Lac), and the abstract lacquer work “Thien ma Huong Son” by artist Nguyen Duc Quang (Dharma name Quang Thien).
This year’s exhibition additionally marks the 20th anniversary of the Mac Huong Buddhist Artists Group, founded in 2006. Over the past two decades, the group has nurtured artistic creativity rooted in Buddhist devotion, using art as a bridge connecting beauty with compassion and wisdom.
Phan Thi Thanh Mai, Director of the UNESCO Hanoi Fine Arts Centre, said the centre contributed 20 works by 17 artists to the exhibition, all inspired by Buddhist teachings despite their diverse materials and styles.
The exhibition runs until May 31 at Art Space, 42 Yet Kieu street, Hanoi./.
