“Sen Soul” by Artist Ngô Bá Hoàng – When the Lotus Emerges from Fire and Earth
On July 26, 2025, the exhibition “Sen Soul” by painter Ngô Bá Hoàng opened at the Hanoi Museum, featuring more than 40 ceramic artworks using a unique enamel glazing technique, attracting a large audience of art enthusiasts. The exhibition marks a new milestone in the creative journey of painter Ngô Bá Hoàng with works that “emerge from fire and earth.”
“Sen Soul” Exhibition Space. Photo: Mỹ Thuật Magazine
The “Sen Soul” exhibition takes viewers into the deep world of ceramic art by painter Ngô Bá Hoàng, an artist who spent many years working with oil paint, lacquer, watercolor, and acrylic before turning to ceramics as an “independent creative language.” For him, ceramics is not just a shaping material but also a means of emotional expression, where earth and fire contribute to telling the artistic story.
The exhibition space at the Hanoi Museum displays more than 40 ceramic artworks using a multi-layered enamel glazing technique, combining the traditional elements of Vietnamese lacquer with the spontaneity of modern ceramic glazes. The primary glazes, which are metal oxide-based, interact when fired at high temperatures, creating vivid visual effects, akin to enjoying a “harmony” between light, ceramic, and time.
Artworks at the “Sen Soul” Exhibition. Photo: Mỹ thuật Magazine
The theme “Lotus – The Pure Beauty of the Vietnamese Soul” runs throughout the exhibited works. Inspired by the lotus, the symbolic flower of purity and wisdom in Eastern culture, Ngô Bá Hoàng’s artworks are strongly influenced by Eastern painting style, featuring gentle shaping and a free, liberal composition. The color harmony in the pieces is a coordination of rich, multi-layered glazes, simultaneously reminiscent of the texture and golden shimmer of lacquer paintings, while also possessing the light and gentle forms of oil paintings.
A highlight of the exhibition is the work “Mạch sống” (Life Vein)—depicting the image of a pregnant mother, whose cracked body envelops a child in a fetal position, all supported by white lotus petals. It is a symbol of life, maternal love, and the energy of rebirth.
The “Sen Soul” exhibition is a turning point in Ngô Bá Hoàng’s artistic journey—an artist who has explored the potential of ceramics, taking this material beyond its traditional applied role to become a means of expression rich in abstraction and contemplative value in contemporary fine art.
At the exhibition, SenS—the art ceramics brand founded by painter Ngô Bá Hoàng and his family—was launched. It is a non-profit creative space where the artist can freely experiment and nurture his love for ceramics. It also serves as a meeting point for the ceramic-loving community, especially the youth. Right on the opening day, experiential activities such as making, molding, painting, and shaping ceramics attracted a large number of participants, creating a connection between traditional values and the new generation.
Information source: