Situation:

- Painting with Lacquer emerged from research by French and Vietnamese artists in the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in the 1930s. It has become a unique blend of traditional Vietnamese art and French aesthetics.

- Despite its rich heritage, Vietnamese Lacquer Painting is not receiving adequate appreciation from the local people. The limited accessibility to lacquer paintings prevents the general population from fully appreciating their beauty and significance. In 2019, a National Treasure lacquer painting by Nguyen Gia Tri was damaged irreversibly due to a lack of cleaning knowledge.

Brief: To help Vietnamese Lacquer Painting receive the appreciation it deserves.

Objective:

- Bringing the Lunar New Year festival's spirit and conveying the inspirational royal story (John Walker & Sons) endorsed by famous artists.

- Increasing brand awareness and influence by showing an understanding of Vietnamese culture.

Budget: €67,000

Project Scale: Vietnam market

Idea: Royal Masterpiece of the East and West

- Johnnie Walker has been regarded as a symbol of luxury in Vietnam since the 1990s. A new artist collaboration platform was formed to bridge traditional craft with opulence - two elements highly valued by the local people.

- In collaboration with artist Dinh Van Son, Johnnie Walker has preserved and renewed the artistic heritage of lacquer, combining it with the contemporary ""keep walking"" spirit.

Innovation attribute: The lacquering at the Complex of Hue Monuments World Heritage 1993 is the royal masterpiece of Vietnamese craftsmen during the 19th - 20th centuries. Handcrafting the lacquer related to painting into a luxurious work of art has brought this almost-lost royal industry closer to the masses.

Sustainability attribute: Creating the royal masterpieces of the East and West cultures while honoring and preserving the traditional Vietnamese value - timeless Lacquer Fine Art.

The artist collaboration presents a renewal in lacquer technique and the traditional topic.

- The imagery of a Dragon Horse was chosen to imply the power of business leadership and mark the economic recovery in 2022, a sacred creature believed to protect luck and bring prosperity. The background features traditional clouds and a spring garden full of Vietnamese plants, representing innovation.

- The rectangle box, which shows strong traditional forces, became the greatest challenge of creating intricate work on six small box panels, totally different from the ample one typically needed for delicate details.

It took 7 months of ideation and completion on all sides of the 37cmx32cmx20cm wooden walnut box and 12cmx12cmx15cm Dragon Horse seal.

- Applying black lacquer

- Reproducing the design

- Inlaying eggshells, mother-of-pearl, silver

- Applying basic lacquer

- Rubbing

- Applying gold, colored lacquer, and clear lacquer

- Rubbing and polishing

The exquisite artist collaboration between Johnnie Walker and Dinh Van Son has been widely recognized and praised, promoting the value of Vietnamese Lacquer Painting on a much broader scale:

- Reached 5,689,712 people and more in online magazines.

- Appreciated by notable Influencers, including Artist Le Kinh Tai (Author of top-selling prices in the Vietnam art market), Art collector Hue Huu, Photographer Dzung Yoko (Creative Director of Elle Vietnam and former Creative Director of L'officiel Vietnam).

And for the Platinum Award at the MUSE Design Award, the project becomes another success for Johnnie Walker, a global brand that understands and celebrates local heritage by excellently creating precious and unique works of art.