KVT – Lolo Successfully Stencils

Of course it’s only a matter of time before these stenciled patterns become fragments of history and Lolo seems to allude to the inevitable by having one print overwhelmed by a large, cerise, spray painted question mark drawn in the manner preferred by taggers.

My prognosis is that soon – or sooner – as we already see in some newer city areas – all illegal signs will be in the form of graffiti tags because they catch passersby attention much more dramatically in this digital age. They’ll go the same way as the hand-painted signs and posters that used to proliferate and provide a living for journeymen and artists only a decade ago.

Seems funny to be mourning the impending end of the kh cat be tong…I wonder if future E and T photographers will find as much thrall in the spray painted as they have in stenciled paint. When it is all over then I’m sure that Lolo’s images in this exhibition will serve as a future and fitting kh cat be tong obituary.

One of the most outstanding things about Lolo’s exhibition is the way that it really draws you in…its as though you really are walking through real alleys. The colors are soothing and seductive (to all but those who love clinical orderliness and sterility). Even when the rectangle of the whole has been cut into four separate pieces, the cleverness works.

Lolo’s is one of the few local exhibitions I’ve seen at L’Espace that has been able to use the difficult exhibition space in a manner that makes the work feel that it truly belongs there and not an imposter begging permission to be seen.

Like my young artist friend and his attractive girlfriend agreed…it really is surprisingly good!

(Shortened Vietnamese version is available)