Born in Hanoi, Ha Tri Hieu (b.1959) graduated from Hanoi Industrial Fine Arts University in 1983. Together with Tran Luong, Pham Ouang Vinh, Hong Viet Dung and Dang Xuan Hoa, they are collectively known as the Hanoi ‘Gang of Five’. Hieu draws his inspiration from everyday life, cultural motifs and traditional art forms. He has participated in more than 15 exhibitions internationally, including two solo exhibitions in Vietnam. Hieu is best known for his works depicting the countryside and peasantry, using a palette of brown, yellow and green in his early works. This is one such work. By de-emphasizing of the peasants in this surreal depiction of a household and focusing on the jar suggests the importance of agriculture and farming in the local society. In the far corner, is a solitary white cow, a motif that is seen in Hieu’s other works too.
