Exhibition “Shadow” by Nguyen Thuy Duong

Opening: Fri 13 Jul 2018, 5 pm
Exhibition: 13 – 17 Jul 2018, 8.30 am – 5 pm
Vietnam Fine Arts Museum

From the organizers:

You are invited to an exhibition of 13 acrylic paintings by artist Nguyen Thuy Duong.

An excerpt from the exhibition introduction written by Hieu Le:

“Seeing Duong’s paintings, I don’t pay attention to colors or proportions, school of arts or techniques. What’s special is these paintings remind me of the fear towards cultural cognition in life, which is as dangerous as the Eastern seabed around Nghi Son island in Duong’s hometown. Hiding beneath the waves are vicious reefs, ready to maul any unfortunate beings the waiting currents brought them, with their razor sharp edges lurking beneath the gentle waves in a calm afternoon.

The journey from the depth of one’s soul to one’s emotions took a time that could not be measured by any hands on the clock dial, nor by sand in the hourglass, nor by each bead on the rosary, but with stability on a unwavered mind of a good-hearted soul. Author Do Chu once told me a French saying – “Vouloir, c’est pouvoir”, meaning that desire, as well as dreams, are individual to each being’s fate. Time drifted through space, turning a fishing-village boy into an artist immersing himself in city life, similar yet strange compared to those of his ancestors, who ‘dipped’ theirs in the saltwater of the sea. Duong dipped his life with all kind of flavors – salty, spicy, bitter, sweet, creamy – of people’s heart. A good-hearted soul might yet to fully express itself on an artwork. The journey of art is longer and further still, where the artists like Duong are the captains, turning the wheels, aiming towards not necessary a welcoming shore, but an experience regardless of the price it takes.”

Free entry

Translated by Hanoi Grapevine