THIẾT MÃ THĂNG THIÊN | EXHIBITION AT COMPLEX 01

Following the series Nghề Nghệ Art-Work: Nghề Ngựa (Phúc Am Village, Hanoi), first introduced during the kickoff program of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, in March Nghề Nghệ and COMPLEX 01 invited you to visit the exhibition “Thiết Mã Thăng Thiên.”

By reinterpreting the image of Saint Gióng riding an iron horse through Nghề Nghệ’s artistic lens and the craft expertise of Nguyễn Thắng – a long-time votive paper artisan from Phúc Am village – the exhibition invited visitors to revisit the legend of Saint Gióng. It recalled the historical memory of resisting foreign invasion and the enduring spirit of solidarity and patriotism, while also evoked a powerful sense of awakening and inner strength within each individual.

For Nghề Nghệ and COMPLEX 01, this exhibition is also an open question: how might folk traditions continue to live, transform, and accompany contemporary life? Rather than seeking a single answer, we hope to suggest new possibilities for sustaining craft livelihoods through interdisciplinary creative practices.

Here, we hope you may find your own answer while standing before a work that Nguyễn Thắng – a votive paper artisan from Phúc Am village – describes as “light as paper, yet heavy with dedication.”