Exhibition “The Story of Phả Trúc Lâm Communal House”

“Phả” is explained as “root”, while “Trúc Lâm” refers to the homeland of the leather shoe artisans who brought the craft to Thăng Long - Hà Nội. At the exhibition, the materials and traditional handicraft practices of the trade are approached through many forms of expression. Artisan Cao Quỳnh presents five finely processed leather collage paintings, along with a work inspired by doctoral steles made on UV-printed leather by Trần Hậu Yên Thế. Vũ Xuân Đông brings five pigment works and three figure-shaped lamps, drawing attention to the shapes of familiar objects through visual language. The exhibition also includes 20 advertising documents from old Hanoi leather shoe shops introduced by Phạm Long; photographic works by Nguyễn Thế Sơn; works on dó paper by Vũ Cẩm Nhung and Phương Linh….

Through the encounter between craft materials and artistic language, the public can perceive leather shoes as part of urban memory, including the artisans’ skills, the journey of making a living, and the bonds among people of the same trade and hometown.

With “The Story of Phả Trúc Lâm Communal House”, the public has the opportunity to view works right at the place of worship of the craft ancestors, evoking the connection between personal aesthetic experience and the community culture that has been built. Images and materials can thus become starting points for viewers to learn about the history of the craft street from the very people and work that once made the vitality of this place. The exhibition is open free daily from 9:00 to 17:00 from November 14 to 28, 2026.