NGUYEN TRUNG

To the artist, art is shaped by humanity and the journey of life to which love, peace, birth and death are intrinsic.

Having undergone several expressionistic variations in his career, the artist moves between abstract and figurative works. He is often viewed as one of the most influential and respected artists living in Vietnam today. He has the great ability to create well-organised texture in his works, paired with a balance and steadiness in his ideas. Strong, decisive individuality and a high sense of purpose are the determinant factors making up Nguyen Trung’s art.

FigurativeTrung’s art is deeply influenced by a combination of Vietnamese culture and Buddhist philosophy. Memories of Vietnam’s landscapes and temples, poems, folksongs, and pagodas inspire his paintings, infusing the canvas with a gentle meditative spirit. This same sprit is embodied in his females. Whether in prayer, picking fruit, holding fish or in meditation, these long-limbed figures exude a sense of quiet elegance. Their expressions are calm and enlightened; their gestures and movements unhurried.

AbstractOne of Vietnam’s foremost abstract artists, Nguyen Trung pays homage to ancient artifacts and temple architecture in his abstract works. There, one finds references to pagoda gates, temple walls and architectural grounds. Rough textures, built up by layers of oil paint or mixed media (sometimes clay or paper), as well as somber colours tell of the effects of weather and time. Trung also focuses on the details on physical structures, whether by design or by passage of time. Physical decay is often his muse. He once aptly described his subject matter as ‘moss covered walls on which sunlight and dew drops slip down their ancient and cracked facades.’

Bridges to distant eras, these works exude timelessness, connecting us to periods and empires that existed before.

Courtesy Gajah Gallery