Exhibition “Forever” by Bui Hoang Duong

Opening: Wed 22 Aug 2018, 5 pm
Exhibition: 22 Aug – 02 Sep 2018, 9 am – 12 pm and 1.30 – 5 pm
VICAS Art Studio
32 Hao Nam street, Hanoi

From the organizer:

The name of this exhibition FOREVER! was recommended by me and approved by the artist immediately.

Bui Hoang Duong, a young man of Muong people, who used to study landscape paintings in China and worked in Australia for years, returned home to for business, then was back with painting. So far, he has got neither success nor fame. I am astonished by the painter’s case as I see his professionalism, his passion and his talent in arts.

In reality, such paradoxes are not rare. “Flaw and talent come in pair” as commonly said, Duong’s flaws lay his extreme in love. Even after breaking up with his wife, he is still longing for that love as his forever first love. Other than that, Duong loves dogs unconditionally. So far, he has painted nothing other than dogs. He has painted almost 300 paintings of dogs using variety of materials and frame sizes.

Actually, the second flaw is also inherited from the first one. In the memory of Duong, Kiki and Koko – the two dogs that accompanied with him and his wife when they studied in Guilin are immortal. Duong said: “50% of my dog paintings were inspired by Koko and Kiki that my wife and I considered our children”. The spirit, the character of the two puppies imprinted somewhat from the painter himself and/or his lover/ex-wife.

Seemingly, these extreme sentiments made the work of painting dogs no longer a private statement of Duong His dog paintings profoundly soaked with human personalities and social changes. These are the feelings of love, hate, fear, hatred… and internal conflicts in the context of contemporary society. His reflection on humanity, society and his emotions was transformed so naturally into the figures of the DOGs and made the audience feel it in a very natural way. To me, these expressions of Duong is sometimes more appealing and vivid than drawing PEOPLE – SOCIETY.

In terms of art, he painted as he was entertaining and for his own satisfaction; his strokes went freely and transformative; creating shapes and colors intertwined and flicked. That made his paintings quite a bit haunting but fascinating.

– Dr. Bui Quang Thang, Art Director, VICAS ART STUDIO

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