HCM CITY (VNS)  — The Leavers, an exhibition of new work by Brooklyn-based artist Trong Gia Nguyen, will open at 6pm today at Galerie Quynh in HCM City.

Nguyen and his immediate family of 11 in addition to three relatives left HCM City on April 30, 1975, the day of Viet Nam's reunification.

"The colourful and playful paintings belie a deep reflection on history, culture and the psyche of those uprooted and transplanted to foreign lands," a press release from the gallery says.

"Sourced from old family photographs, the paintings depict coloured book images that have been filled in but with the black outlines removed, suggesting the skewed ways in which we remember, shape, and colourise the past," it continues.

The paintings were informed by his ongoing film project, DONG, an exploration of family history through the imperfect lens of memory.

Nguyen, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, is a multi-disciplinary artist known for his diverse works from iPhone applications (Metaphysical GPS) to installation, film, painting, sculpture, performances and web-based projects.

Galerie Quynh is located at Level 2 on 151/3 Dong Khoi Street in District 1. — VNS