Tia-Thuy Nguyen
- Oct 23, 2019
- 7 min read

Artist - Fashion Designer Tia-Thuỷ Nguyễn

Kéo xuống dưới để đọc tiếng Việt.

Article on HeritageFashion, Oct | Nov Issue 2019

Written by Lê Thiên Bảo

IN A MODERN WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO A “FORMULA”, ARTIST AND FASHION DESIGNER TIA - THUY NGUYEN HAS EMERGED AS AN EXCEPTION. FROM ART, FASHION, SOCIAL WORK TO MOVIE PRODUCTION, EVERY PATH THAT THIS “WOMAN OF SILK” CHOSE BEARS HER DISTINCTIVE ART TRADEMARK AND POSITIVE ENERGY.

“I FAILED THE ADMISSION EXAM TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FINE ARTS THREE TIMES!”

At that time, Nguyen Thu Thuy had made quite an impression, as by the time she was 19, she had had many small personal exhibitions at coffee shops and galleries, and most of the works were collected. Although it was not easy for Thuy to become an art student, she was not someone who gave up easily. After three times of failure, on her fourth attempt, Thuy got admitted into the Department of Art of Vietnam University of Fine Arts in Hanoi. Graduated in 2006, Thuy received a scholarship and proceeded to persistently perfected her craft for 8 years at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kiev, Ukraine. As she returned to Vietnam with a doctorate in art, everyone expected Thuy to be a painter. But this young woman from Hanoi took people by surprise yet again.

THUY DESIGN HOUSE - FROM A SMALL ROOM IN HANOI...

“When I was a child, I would often stay at home by myself, so I liked playing with dolls and making clothes for them,” she said. Not limited to clothes for dolls, she even often learned to make her own clothes. Thuy did not receive any formal training, nor follow the trends of famous fashion houses in the world; she painstakingly beaded, sewed and experimented on all. “Why must an artist always be painting? Fashion is the combination of lines, forms, colors, patterns, and shapes of art. I want to create artwork that can be worn on the body, helping women to move comfortably and free them from any shyness they might have about their body.” In a small room on Da Tuong Street, Hanoi, the first dresses of Thuy Design House were created in 2011 in such a simple way.

After 8 years of development, the Thuy Design House brand has now become a “keyword” when the public seeks a traditional áo dài costume which is still youthful, elegant and bold. From “Lúng Liếng” (Flirty), “Viên mãn” (Fulfilled), “Cô Ba Sài Gòn” (Ms. Ba of Saigon), “Mộng mị” (Dreaming), or the most recent “Tình tang” (The Melody of Love), one can easily realize her growth through each design. Thuy Design House has now become a trusted brand for celebrities like Ngo Thanh Van, Thanh Hang, Linh Nga, Hoang Thuy Linh, or Bich Phuong as they wear her designs in music videos or movies. Thuy Nguyen’s impression can be seen most clearly in how she delivers traditional cultural elements in modern and highly applicable outfits.

In her journey of promoting Vietnamese culture to international friends and discovering opportunities to develop the domestic fashion industry, Thuy will keep conquering daunting challenges presented in world fashion capitals like New York, Paris, ...

Her art shall be painting, arranging, movie, fashion... Tia - Thuy Nguyen will do anything she can, as long as she can help Vietnamese voice cross many more boundaries.

Silver Room (2019) by Tia-Thuỷ Nguyễn at Château La Coste

“I CHOOSE THE LONG RUN WITH CONTEMPORARY ART”

The stage name Tia-Thuy Nguyen was adopted in 2016, when Thuy began developing The Factory Center for Contemporary Art. As she noticed the deficiency in the infrastructure and facilities of local art, Tia – Thuy Nguyen dreamed of building a center to connect artists, critics, designers, collectors, and the audience. She looked for experts herself, then interviewed and persuaded them, and did all the planning. Now, more than three years since the center’s establishment, she together with art director Zoe Butt and the curators in her team have made The Factory an art destination of Saigon and impressed international friends. The Factory is the start on Tia - Thuy Nguyen’s long journey of creating a healthy and sustainable art community of Vietnam. Alongside her investment in art education, she has also gone back to practicing her own craft without much of an announcement. On a beautiful sunny day in May in Aix-en-Provence, France, she surprised the world’s art scene with her work “Silver Room” which was opened and displayed at Château La Coste. Tia - Thuy Nguyen then became the first Vietnamese artist to make an appearance in this renowned collection.

“Have you given up painting?” some people may ask her. But for Tia, “Working in art provides endless passion and creativity. There is no boundary between architecture, sculpting, painting, designing, decorating, arranging, fashion etc. and even movie. An artwork is the integration and mixture across techniques, disciplines, cultures, with layers of knowledge on top of one another.” Her art shall be painting, arranging, movie, fashion. Tia will do anything she can, as long as she can help Vietnamese voice cross many more boundaries.

NGHỆ SĨ - NHÀ THIẾT KẾ THỜI TRANG TIA-THUỶ NGUYỄN

Bài đăng trên tạp chí HeritageFashion số Tháng Mười | Tháng Mười Một 2019

Tác giả: Lê Thiên Bảo

GIỮA BỐI CẢNH MỘT XÃ HỘI HIỆN ĐẠI VÀ MỌI THỨ DƯỜNG NHƯ ĐÃ ĐƯỢC “CÔNG THỨC HÓA”, TIA - THỦY NGUYỄN NỔI LÊN NHƯ MỘT NGOẠI LỆ. TỪ HỘI HỌA, THỜI TRANG, HOẠT ĐỘNG XÃ HỘI CHO ĐẾN SẢN XUẤT PHIM, MỌI CON ĐƯỜNG MÀ “NGƯỜI ĐÀN BÀ CỦA GẤM” NÀY CHỌN ĐỀU IN ĐẬM DẤU ẤN NGHỆ THUẬT VÀ MANG NĂNG LƯỢNG TÍCH CỰC CỦA CÁ NHÂN CÔ.

“TÔI THI TRƯỢT TRƯỜNG MỸ THUẬT VIỆT NAM ĐẾN BA LẦN!”

Thời đấy, cái tên Nguyễn Thu Thủy là một hiện tượng, bởi từ năm 19 tuổi cô đã có rất nhiều những cuộc triển lãm cá nhân nhỏ tại các quán cà phê, phòng tranh và hầu hết các tác phẩm đều được sưu tập. Tuy vậy, cánh cửa để trở thành “sinh viên mỹ thuật” lại không mở ra dễ dàng với Thủy, nhưng cô không phải là người dễ bỏ cuộc. Sau ba lần thi trượt, đến lần thứ tư, Thủy được nhận vào học khoa hội họa, trường Đại học Mỹ thuật Việt Nam, Hà Nội. Tốt nghiệp vào năm 2006, Thủy nhận được học bổng và tiếp tục bền chí rèn luyện đến 8 năm tại Học viện Nghệ thuật và Kiến trúc Quốc gia, Kiev, Ukraine. Trở về Việt Nam với tấm bằng Tiến sĩ Nghệ thuật, “ừ thì chắc Thủy sẽ làm họa sĩ thôi!” – người ta nói thế. Nhưng cô gái Hà Nội này không ngừng khiến người ta bất ngờ...

THỦY DESIGN HOUSE - TỪ MỘT CĂN GÁC NHỎ Ở HÀ NỘI...

“Lúc nhỏ, Thủy hay ở nhà một mình nên rất thích chơi búp bê và may quần áo cho búp bê”, cô tâm sự. Chính từ trò chơi trẻ thơ đó, cô cũng thường tự mày mò may áo quần cho chính mình. Không qua bất kỳ một trường lớp nào, cũng không ‘bắt trend’ những nhà mốt danh tiếng trên thế giới, Thủy cặm cụi thử nghiệm đủ loại chất liệu, kết cườm, thêu thùa... “Vì sao làm nghệ sĩ thì cứ phải vẽ? Thời trang là sự kết hợp giữa đường nét, form dáng, màu sắc, họa tiết, hình khối cảu hội họa... Tôi muốn tạo ra những tác phẩm nghệ thuật có thể mặc được trên người, giúp người phụ nữ thoải mái vận động và giải phóng họ khỏi nhưng e ngại về cơ thể”. Trên căn gác nhỏ ở phố Dã Tượng, Hà Nội, những chiếc đầm đầu tiên của Thủy Design House ra đời vào năm 2011 một cách mộc mạc như thế!

Sau tám năm phát triển, đến nay, thương hiệu Thuy Design House đã trở thành một “từ khóa” khi công chúng muốn tìm kiếm một chiếc áo dài truyền thống nhưng vẫn trẻ trung, sang trọng và phá cách. Từ “Lúng Liếng”, “Viên Mãn”, “Cô Ba Sài Gòn”, “Mộng Mị” đến gần đầy nhất là “Tình Tang”, có thể dễ dàng nhận ra sự trưởng thành của cô trong từng thiết kế. Thủy Design House giờ đây trở thành thương hiệu để tất cả những ngôi sao như Ngô Thanh Vân, Thanh Hằng, Linh Nga, Hoàng Thùy Linh, Bích Phương.... “chọn mặt gửi vàng” trong các video âm nhạc, phim ảnh. Dấu ấn của Thủy Nguyễn rõ rệt nhất ở cách chuyển tải những yếu tố văn hóa dân gian vào trong trang phục hiện đại, mang tính ứng dụng cao.

Sắp tới, Thủy sẽ tiếp tục chinh phục thêm những thử thách cam go khác tại những kinh đô thời trang lớn của thế giới như New York, Paris... để mang văn hóa Việt Nam đi quảng bá với các bạn bè quốc tế và tìm kiếm thêm những cơ hội để phát triển cho nền thời trang trong nước.

Nghệ thuật của cô sẽ là tranh, là sắp đặt, là phim, là thời trang,... Tia sẽ làm mọi thứ có thể, miễn là góp sức mang tiếng nói Việt Nam vượt thêm được nhiều đường biên.

Khai mạc triển lãm "Văn tế thập loại chúng sinh" của nghệ sĩ Phạm Trần Việt Nam tại The Factory ngày 20/5/2018

Nghệ danh Tia - Thủy Nguyễn được ra đời từ năm 2016, khi cô bắt đầu xây dựng Trung tâm Nghệ thuật Đương đại The Factory. Nhận thấy những thiếu thốn về cơ sở hạ tầng của nền nghệ thuật địa phương, Tia - Thủy ước mơ xây dựng được một trung tâm, nơi liên kết nghệ sĩ, nhà phê bình, nhà thiết kế, giới sưu tập và người xem. Tự mình đi lùng kiếm chuyên gia, tự phỏng vấn, tự thuyết phục, tự lên kế hoạch xây dựng... Giờ đây sau hơn 3 năm thành lập, Tia - Thủy Nguyễn và Giám đốc nghệ thuật Zoe Butt cùng các giám tuyển trong đội của mình đã khiến The Factory trở thành điểm hẹn nghệ thuật của Sài thành và bắt đầu để lại ấn tượng tốt đẹp với bạn bè quốc tế. The Factory là một khởi đầu cho con đường rất dài của Tia - Thủy để xây dựng một cộng đồng nghệ thuật khỏe mạnh, bền vững cho Việt Nam.

“VỚI NGHỆ THUẬT ĐƯƠNG ĐẠI, TÔI ĐI MỘT CON ĐƯỜNG DÀI”

Song song với việc đầu tư vào giáo dục nghệ thuật, Tia - Thủy Nguyễn ngấm ngầm quay lại với thực hành sáng tác của chính mình. Vào một ngày nắng đẹp tháng Năm tại Aix-en-Provence, Pháp, cô gây bất ngờ cho làng nghệ thuật thế giới với tác phẩm “Silver Room” được khai mạc và sưu tập tại Château La Coste. Tia trở thành người nghệ sĩ Việt Nam đầu tiên có mặt trong bộ sưu tập danh giá này.

“Tia bỏ vẽ à?” Có người hỏi. Nhưng với cô, “Lao động nghệ thuật là miền đất màu mỡ của đam mê và sáng tạo vô hạn. Không có ranh giới giữa kiến trúc, điêu khắc, hội họa, thiết kế, trang trí, sắp đặt, thời trang... kể cả phim ảnh. Tác phẩm nghệ thuật là sự tích hợp, giao hòa đa kỹ thuật, đa ngành, đa văn hóa, tầng tầng lớp lớp tri thức xếp chồng lên nhau”. Nghệ thuật của cô sẽ là tranh, là sắp đặt, là phim, là thời trang,... Tia sẽ làm mọi thứ có thể, miễn là góp sức mang tiếng nói Việt Nam vượt thêm được nhiều đường biên.

TIA-THUY NGUYEN

Artist - Fashion Designer Tia-Thuỷ Nguyễn

THUY DESIGN HOUSE - FROM A SMALL ROOM IN HANOI...

Her art shall be painting, arranging, movie, fashion... Tia - Thuy Nguyen will do anything she can, as long as she can help Vietnamese voice cross many more boundaries.

Nghệ thuật của cô sẽ là tranh, là sắp đặt, là phim, là thời trang,... Tia sẽ làm mọi thứ có thể, miễn là góp sức mang tiếng nói Việt Nam vượt thêm được nhiều đường biên.

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