Vietnamese painter creates wonder with aluminium waste materials

Painter Nguyen Van Phuc in the Mekong Delta has developed techniques to make bas-reliefs on aluminium. He is reportedly the first to do it in Viet Nam. With a precise mind and skilled hands, the artist turns waste materials, such as empty aluminium beer or juice cans, into sophisticated works of art.

"I happened upon an idea to make bas-reliefs on aluminium," Phuc recalls. He said he has since then created many paintings using water colours, oil paints and has made wooden sculptures, but, "these materials are too popular, so I decided to develop a new sculptural style and medium for me: aluminium reliefs".

Phuc has chiselled hundreds of works, including the Don Ca Tai Tu (Southern Folk Music), which won second prize at the Can Tho Arts Fair in 2012. Also, Cho Noi Cai Rang (Cai Rang Floating Market) and Dat Mui Ca Mau (The Cape of Ca Mau) both won third prizes at the same fair in 2013.

While speaking about his future plans with his unique art form, Phuc said, "I want to open a showroom by the end of this year to display hundreds of my works to introduce them to locals and foreigners visiting the country.”

Painter Tran Dinh Thao, chairman of Can Tho Province's Fine Arts Association, said Phuc is among the very few painters representing the delta and painting it vividly, that too on a metal base. However, aluminium with its suave texture and inherent sheen adds to the overall art created by Phuc.