Through the ups and downs of history, Hoi An still has mossy roofs with yellow painted walls and wooden doors with mysterious eyes above.
And, in a special ancient house, there are hundreds of papier-mâché masks that have created a unique cultural space for the heritage city of Hoi An.
This is where artisan Bui Quy Phong creates and introduces papier-mâché masks drawn by himself. He has spent decades making masks through many stages from plaster or cement, papier-mâché, whitewashing, drying, drawing, coloring...
The most difficult thing is to breathe life into each mask through each stroke so that it is both vivid and clearly represents the value of Vietnamese folk art and culture.
Among the tens of thousands of masks that artisan Bui Quy Phong has made with many themes such as children's masks, ancient opera masks, and modern masks, he most enjoys drawing masks with the characteristics of the art of hát bội (tuồng).
Each of these handmade masks has its own story and soul.
He called them "time masks" because he explained that when looking at them, we can see layers of cultural meaning bearing the mark of time of the nation.
Artisan Bui Quy Phong always feels proud when his papier-mâché masks are increasingly known by domestic and international tourists visiting Hoi An.
For him, this is an opportunity to promote Vietnamese culture.
Heritage Magazine
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