Exhibition “33.23.45”

10 AM – 06 PM, Tues – Sun, 07 Nov – 27 Dec 2026
Sóng Mây Gallery.S
48 Street 5, Block F361, An Dương, Hồng Hà, Hà Nội

From Sóng Mây Gallery.S:

Sóng Mây Gallery.S is pleased to present 33.23.45, a selection of works by sculptor Trần Trọng Tri, on view at the gallery from 7 November to 27 December 2026.

At first glance, 33.23.45 may suggest a date-like sequence of numbers. Yet these numbers do not point to any specific moment in time. Instead, they are chosen as open markers, evoking the continuity of time and shifts whose significance may not be immediately apparent as they occur. Here, time is no longer confined to a specific duration or governed by a linear sequence with clearly defined beginnings and endings. Rather, it resembles a continuous flow, moving, unfolding and recurring. One moment may have passed, another may not yet have arrived, and the artist himself no longer feels the need to identify or establish such boundaries.

These reflections on time offer a point of departure for considering how the works in 33.23.45 take shape. The series does not begin with a fixed conception, but gradually emerges through interactions with a material that seems to extend beyond initial expectations. In the process of making, through hammering, heating and transforming copper, each change in the material can alter the relationships between its constituent parts, giving rise to a different equilibrium and a different form. There is always a gap between what is anticipated and what actually emerges. Chance may enter this gap, but it does not, in itself, create the work. The artist must sustain a harmonious dialogue with the material, remaining attentive to what is unfolding, choosing how to respond and deciding when to continue and when to stop.

The freedom that characterises these recent works no longer places the artist, technique and material in opposition to one another. Rather, it seems to emerge after reason has been pushed to a certain limit. With sufficient understanding to recognise what is taking place, Trần Trọng Tri no longer needs to analyse or control everything as he once did. This is not a renunciation of reason, but an attainment of such depth of awareness that reason itself can soften.

At times, the works in 33.23.45 evoke living organisms, each with its own form and life. They seem to move, connect and transform according to an order that is never fixed. Each form carries its own rhythm of movement while participating in a broader flow in which existence, transformation and cycles of renewal continue to unfold. Metal structures rise, run parallel to one another or lean in different directions. They do not establish an absolute equilibrium. This balance does not arise from symmetry or a fixed order, but from the relationships between elements of differing forms and positions. Voids and shadows also contribute to this structure. Shadows shift with changes in light and viewing position, while empty spaces prevent form from being confined to the boundaries of physical matter. The spaces between and around the metal rods establish relationships that are inseparable from the sculptural forms themselves. At times, what gives a work its presence lies precisely in what does not belong to it.

In 2015, in A Trip, Trần Trọng Tri employed the imagery of boats and water to evoke associations with history, origins and the homeland. These two motifs were explored through various boat forms, materials and arrangements, creating a symbolic spatial structure. In 33.23.45, by contrast, the series is not defined by any identifiable motif. Instead, it takes shape through a harmonious relationship between reason and material. Whereas in 𝗔 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽 viewers could follow associations arising from the imagery of boats and water, in this presentation they must seek connections for themselves within the sculptural structures, through different viewpoints and the transformations of the works.

This is also a familiar condition of life. Not every event is a matter of choice, nor can every outcome be controlled. We must remain proactive, but being proactive does not mean forcing everything to unfold according to our wishes. At times, our real capacity lies in recognising the limits of intervention, knowing when to act and when to allow things to reveal their own form. Through this series of works, sculptor Trần Trọng Tri reveals a state of complete freedom of mind.

About Sóng Mây Gallery.S

Sóng Mây Gallery.S is a small-scale initiative as part of the Sóng Mây Contemporary Art Museum Project, intended as a connective space devoted to showcasing small- and medium-scale paintings, sculptures, and editioned sculptures by both established artists and emerging practitioners. By prioritizing works of this scale, the gallery seeks to broaden public access to and opportunities for collecting artworks, while fully preserving the aesthetic integrity and creative spirit of each artist within a meticulously curated and coherent exhibition environment.

Within the overall project, Sóng Mây Gallery.S functions as a point of close encounter between artists, artworks, and audiences, nurturing viewing practices, forming a collecting community, and thus promoting the sustainable development of the Vietnamese art ecosystem

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