Le Van Trong – Light from a silent realm
Written by Nga Nguyễn
Images provided by Alpha Gallery
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Le Van Trong (Trong Le) was born in Da Lat in 1991. He grew up in both Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City. After graduating from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, he spent nearly a decade working in graphic design before returning to his hometown to live and pursue fine art, which he continues to this day.
Trong Le is a unique visual artist who entered painting in resolute defiance of the clamor and glamour of the outside world, turning instead to seek out the subtle emotional resonances of inner stillness. For him, painting does not aim to illustrate reality but to explore the deeper layers of introspective thought. Within each slice of contemplation, viewers might find expressions as gentle as mist or as fragile as a silk ribbon. Looking at these soft forms, one can sometimes sense intense vibrations that are hidden: all of this quiet intensity is veiled under a fine mist of serenity by the artist.
In Illusory Motion, Trong Le chooses oil on canvas as his primary medium to convey his world. Viewers are drawn into a realm of softness, illusion, and emotional uncertainty which is expressed through open compositions. The imagery evokes a sense of transformation, with tones shifting from vibrant to muted. The subjects he has selected are simple— cocoons, droplets of water, tree branches and insects. These small, solitary, fragile objects still harbor a powerful life force, from the microscopic level to a fully formed structure. Within each silent entity, everything is constantly in motion—progressing or dissolving moment by moment.
Trong Le’s paintings are a journey to find light within darkness, the kind of light that may still be faint and dreamlike, but brimming with vitality like molten lava quietly flowing deep inside a silent volcano. In a world where fragility and harshness coexist, he strives to sow the seeds of gentle peace. His works don’t deliver a specific, concrete message. Instead, they invite the viewer into a space of emotion—a realm of color—meant to spark reflection on the meaning of human life.
Though not (yet) a familiar face on the art scene, Trong Le has already revealed a distinct artistic personality: introspective, tranquil, yet steadfast. In this exhibition – Illusory Motion, he represents the Illusion half, paired with the Motion represented by Tran Quoc Long, a senior figure in the field who has made a name for himself in contemporary lacquer painting. The contrast between their two distinct art styles becomes a compelling feature of the show: one still, the other dynamic; one dreamy, the other powerful. This opposition could be associated with “warm ocean currents” and “cold ocean currents” – their intersection becomes a harmonious confluence. All ocean currents will ultimately meet in the vast sea, yet never truly merge.
