Solo Exhibition by Trần Hải Minh – A Period of Abstract Expressionism

The Vietnamese art scene of the 1990s served as a pivotal bridge between two historical periods. After enduring back-to-back wars, followed by twenty years of embargo, the people of Vietnam have intrigued the outside world with one question: how did they navigate through these trying times? Simultaneously, the country’s economic opening to foreign trade and international integration led to positive transformations in the economy, lifestyle, and social spirit, along with a surge in cultural and entertainment needs.

The period of subsidy in Vietnamese fine arts was like a compressed spring that, upon release, expanded into myriad hues and diversities. Numerous modern Vietnamese artists continuously made a name for themselves, both domestically and internationally. A fresh, youthful, free, and liberal breeze swept through Vietnam’s artistic activities at that time.

In 1995, the first Abstract Expressionism exhibition was held in Vietnam, organized by artist Tran Hai Minh.

Born in 1962 in Hanoi, Tran Hai Minh was privileged to have undergone formal training for six years at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts and seven years at the Berlin Art Academy, directly accessing European fine arts, the cradle of global painting.

Engaging with the currents of modern art, particularly abstract expressionism, Tran Hai Minh chose a unique path for his career development. After 11 years of study and work in Germany (1986-1997), he decided to return to Vietnam in 1997 to live and work up to the present day.

This book summarizes the main milestones on the artistic journey of Tran Hai Minh. It compiles his works from the 1980s while he was creating in Germany to the later stages. Notably, the exhibition emphasizes the works created from 2010 to the present – a period when Tran Hai Minh fully transitioned to a powerful style of abstract expressionism. This phase also marks Tran Hai Minh’s numerous solo exhibitions that contributed to introducing abstract painting in general, and Tran Hai Minh’s works in particular, to the art-loving public.

This exhibition, prepared over many years, is heartfelt shares, contemplations on his profession, observations of life around, and the art stream through the names of world-renowned artists, from which Tran Hai Minh learned and strived to consolidate and build a distinctive style and an experimental imprint.

Thúy Nga
Alpha Art Station