The Grapevine Selection Presents Artist Vuong Van Thao
The Grapevine Selection – Volume 1 is pleased to introduce Vuong Van Thao, one of the eight renowned names to exhibit at the upcoming art exhibition.
Vuong Van Thao is a native Hanoian, born in 1969 and graduated from Hanoi Fine Arts University in 1995. His ‘Body and Dream’ series, for which he achieved international renown, was first exhibited at Salon Natasha in 2001. These paintings and sculptures are affectionately referred to as his ‘bums’ and are still an important and ongoing part of Thao’s art practice.
In 2006 Thao unveiled his first ‘Living Fossil’ sculpture series. He created a representation of one house and one power pole from each street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and cast each one in a cube of solid composite resin. In 2007 Thao was invited to exhibit this 68-piece work at The Singapore Art Museum as part of the Asia Pacific Art Awards, during which he was nominated as one of the 10 best artists in the region. The museum purchased the entire work for its permanent collection.
Since 2007 Thao has dedicated a major part of his studio time to furthering the ‘Living Fossil’ concept – cast composite resin blocks containing sculptures of facets of Hanoi that are under threat from development. In 2008 he fossilized the Long Bien Bridge in ten sections and most are in private collections around the world. He followed this with a series of representations of street vendors and Thao’s 2013 ‘Frozen Dream’ Living Fossil series provide a pithy social critique.
In the upcoming “Grapevine Selection” exhibition Thao will exhibit 10 artworks representing different stages in his “Living Fossils” creating process.
Further readings:
KVT’s review on Thao’s exhibition of painting and sculpture at Bookworm Too in Oct 2012:
An Homage to the Art of Vuong Thao
KVT’s review on Thao’s living fossils at the group exhibition at Korean Cultural Center in Apr 2012:
Angels that Hover around Nha Tho
KVT’s review on Thao’s living fossil exhibition at L’Espace in May 2011:
L’Espace Bejewlled and Gleaming
Words by KVT and Frederike Krentz.
