Exhibition “Begin, Everywhere”
09:30 am – 06:30 pm, 12 – 26 Apr 2025
Indochine House Gallery
32A Nhà Chung, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
From the organizer:
“Begin, everywhere” – a solo exhibition by artist Nguyen The Hung – presents to the art-loving public a series of paintings in the rain created over the past two years using lacquer on canvas as his primary medium. The exhibition revolves around two main aspects that serve as the foundation for most of the works. On one hand, it delves into the notion of timing (the transformation and passage of time); on the other, in a complementary relationship, it addresses the aspect of space (places we discover, from the familiar to the unfamiliar). Taking rain as both a poetic and symbolic source of inspiration – a natural phenomenon that is at once delicate and elusive – Nguyen The Hung explores the interconnection between human beings and nature. At the same time, the symbolic nature of rain evokes the origin of a long journey, one that constructs collective memory, linking the past and the present.
Nguyen The Hung’s painterly world intertwines familiar natural inspirations, from the vegetation surrounding his home to human figures (especially women), all enriched by traditional Vietnamese cultural elements such as mythical creatures (dragon, unicorn, tortoise, phoenix), geometric motifs, traditional patterns, temple architecture (like the temples of Kings Dinh and Le), and ancient citadels. These elements interact with the pictorial space, harmonizing through a constellation of tiny circular dots. This system of color points carries symbolic meaning, shifting beyond the depiction of literal rainfall to shape surreal landscapes layered with dialogue between tradition and modernity. This conceptual approach is reflected in his choice of lacquer on canvas – a contemporary innovation that reimagines traditional aesthetic values through a modern perspective and mindset.
This series of work serves as an invitation for viewers to enter the contemplative world of Nguyen The Hung’s art, where rain transcends the boundaries of a natural phenomenon to become an abstract entity. It falls across cultural horizons, weaving together pairs of opposing values: old and new, while nourishing the human soul. This process unfolds organically, evolving in every moment, occurring everywhere, and seeping from each individual’s personal sky into broader communities, spanning all geographic boundaries. In this journey, the artist’s role is to, once again, quietly whisper to the viewer stories that have already… “Begin, everywhere.”
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