A gray day: One of the art works on display at the exhbitiion Tales of Chewing Gum, Noodle Soup, and Other Stories.

HCM CITY (VNS)— Tales of Chewing Gum, Noodle Soup, and Other Stories is the intriguing title of an exhibition that brings together for the first time new and rarely seen works by acclaimed HCM City-based artists Nguyen Trung and Hoang Duong Cam.

One of Viet Nam's most accomplished and respected abstract painter, Nguyen Trung (b. 1940) unveils rarely exhibited paintings that he created during the last decade.

Grouped under collections called Moonlight, Urban and Crying River, his works are described by a press release as "exquisite formal investigations into remembrance and Buddhist thought".

While Moonlight reflects the Vietnamese countryside in wartime, Urban leads viewers into the "mysterious and opulent" worlds of past civilizations, and Crying River gives pause and encourages contemplation of the vagaries of daily life.

Cam (b. 1974) displays his newest body of work that draws upon the historical accounts of Ha Noi by former East German journalist Thomas Billhardt in his 1972 photo essay Hanoi Am Tage vor dem Friede.

"Personal memory and stories of childhood fantasies play an integral role in the new works," the press release says.

The exhibition is a collaboration of Galerie Quynh and Vietnam Star Automobile, retailer for German automaker Mercedes-Benz.

"We appreciate the artistic connection with Germany," said Michael Behrens, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Vietnam.

"Art and design is an integral part of our cars' DNA. This a great opportunity to bring together artists and design enthusiasts."

The exhibition will close on November 17.

Galerie Quynh is located at 65 De Tham Street, District 1, HCM City. — VNS