As we become stories, the artefacts turn into vessels of life. We adore Bien Hoa ceramics the same way we embrace the imperfections of our being in this world. Come and discover the endless, blooming attractions in them, with us.

“The attractions of ceramics lie partly in its contradictions. It is both difficult and easy, with an element beyond our control. It is both extremely fragile and durable.”

Isamu Noguchi

More often than not, we take art for granted. We elevate art to a higher pedestal only to further distance ourselves from it. Engulfed by the daily hustle, we forget art exists and surrounds us.

Perhaps to hope is to hold on to the contradiction between reality and imagination, between belief and vanity.

Bien Hoa ceramics hold a special place at the heart of Amanaki. This exceptional genus of ceramics, is imbued with historical and cultural diversity. It is how we position ourselves.

The first confluence came into being when Saigon’s alternative pottery line of Cay Mai (trans. ochna integerrima) encountered the multi-centennial artisanship of Bien Hoa makers. The point-turning second was milestoned at precisely 100 years ago, when the French couple Robert and Mariette Balicks were appointed to manage Bien Hoa Vocational School (later renamed The Bien Hoa School of Indigenous Arts, and nowadays Dong Nai Fine and Decorative Arts College). Their finest creation has since become known as the unique enamel alchemically made up from a wide range of local and imported components, from Da Nang sands to Bien Hoa laterite and kaolin soil, from various ashes to copper rust and glass shards and so on. Aesthetically spectacular and endlessly iconic.

At its artistic peak somewhere in the 1960’s, Bien Hoa ceramics absorbed the elements and artistry of French Limoges, Chinese ceramics imports, as well as native Champa ceramics. The products were awarded internationally and beloved domestically for the richness of decorations and enamels, be it grandiose display or a household item so daily used. From endearing flower motifs to Hindus gods and mythological animals, from daily routines to folk-laden depictions, few artisanal creations can elaborate so many conceptual dimensions, philosophically and eloquently.

Waxing and waning through the tide of time, Bien Hoa ceramics stay and surround our lives, sometimes in manners unexpected. As we become stories, the artefacts turn vessels of life, enlarged and enriched with our experiences. They are both portrayals and witnesses of histories both known and unknown to us, thus waiting to be discovered. Even stories beg for constant retelling and recollecting, from ones to others.

With Bien Hoa ceramics being an integral part of both our visage and integrity, Amanaki uses Earth to save Earth, and stories to share stories.