Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — The lotus is the major theme of the “Tam Linh” (Spiritus) art exhibition at the HCM City Exhibition Centre, which opens on August 18.
The exhibition displays 30 oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings on canvas, silk, alloy or papyrus by artists Nguyen Thi Tam, Tran Thuy Linh and Nguyen Huy Khue.
The lotus has special significance to the Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture.
Tam, 82, best known for her paintings of lotuses, is showing 11 oil on canvas paintings, such as Dem Huyen Dieu (Magical Night), Gio Thoang Ngoai Ao (Wind on the Pond), and Con Giong (A Storm).
The works feature images of pink and white lotuses standing steady in the storm, reflecting the strength of human beings in the face of disasters.
Tam, a native of the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, graduated in oil painting from the Gia Dinh Fine Arts College in 1958.
She has taken part in 20 solo and group exhibitions in Viet Nam, France, the US and Germany, among others.
Linh, who does semi-abstract and abstract paintings, showcases papyrus paintings in three collections, including 15 Sac Thai Cua Sen (15 Shades of Lotus), Doi Thoai Sen (Dialogue with Lotus) and Hoa Hu Khong (Flowers of Nothingness).
Linh began to study painting when she was eight from well-known artists at the Art Academy of Indochina in Ha Noi and her mother, a professional artist.
She graduated from Leipzig University in Germany in 1988 and continued to study painting in Viet Nam after her return.
She has held several solo and group exhibitions in Viet Nam, the US, South Korea, Mongolia,and Taiwan. Her paintings are in private collections in Viet Nam, Germany, the US, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Khue, a graduate of the HCM City University of Fine Arts who now lives in Australia, is displaying seven silk paintings and an installation work.
The exhibits include Toi Va Toi (Me and I) and Bat Dau Tu Tam (From the Heart) reflecting his inner conflict and ways to improve himself.
Uyen Huy, chairman of the HCM City Fine Arts Association, said: “The exhibition is beautiful and meaningful and has each artist’s traits. Three artists depict the beauty of lotus, and the connection between the artists’ soul and the Vu Lan Festival (an event to express gratitude towards parents).”
The exhibition is open until August 27 at 92 Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1. — VNS