From ritual to daily life: Phoenix motifs in contemporary Mother Goddess Belief

Phoenix pattern on Goddesses’s costume-Medium: Acrylic on copper-Arttist: Ngoc Bao Anh Le

Title: Phoenixes of Devotion
Medium: Acrylic on Red Copper Coffee Pot
Artist: Haudong ft. Art
Dimensions: Variable
Technique: Hand-painted with fine acrylic detail

This exquisite piece transforms a traditional red copper coffee pot into a canvas of spiritual symbolism and cultural heritage. Rendered in vibrant acrylic, the design features a pair of phoenixes—mythical birds emblematic of renewal, purity, and divine power in Vietnamese folklore. These phoenix motifs are directly inspired by the ornamental patterns traditionally found on the ceremonial costumes of goddesses in Vietnam’s indigenous Mother Goddess worship (Đạo Mẫu).

The gleaming copper body of the pot contrasts beautifully with the soft, feathery strokes of the white plumage, accented by jewel-toned blues and purples. The deliberate symmetry of the birds flanking the stylized Greek key pattern (a symbol of eternity and unity) suggests harmony and reverence. The choice of a utilitarian object such as a coffee pot for this artwork subtly bridges the sacred and the everyday, inviting contemplation of the divine within daily rituals.

Phoenixes of Devotion is not only a work of aesthetic beauty but also a statement on cultural preservation, echoing the spiritual identity of Đạo Mẫu through contemporary artistic reinterpretation.