Reverb catalogue Nguyen The Dung

ARTIST NGUYEN THE DUNG 1

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ARTIST NGUYEN THE DUNG THE LATEST ARTWORKS 3

About the Artist Group Exhibitions: zz Nguyen The Dung zz 2019: Biafarain Award (Toronto, Canada) zz Born in 1985, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam zz 2018: Nord Art Exhibition, Nord Art Price, Germany. Education E xhibition Aution, Chon’s Auction, Hanoi zz 2008: Bachelor of Arts, Vietnam University of Exhibition The Purpose, Park Hyatt, HCMC. Fine Arts. zz Since 2014: studying a master course in Exhibition Vietnam Art, Post Art Gallery, paintings, Vietnam University of Fine Arts. Germany. zz 2018: Summer with Ninh Binh Heritage. Solo Exhibitions zz 2015: Exhibition “3 dinh 1 roi”, Vietnam Fine Art, 66 zz 2019: Reverb, THE GATE Lounge and Lifestyle, Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi, Hanoi zz 2014: Human Cows Yes Art Gallery, Belgium Vietnam. zz 2013: Unidentified cows, AP Contemporary zz 2014: Nord Art Exhibition, Nord Art Price, Germany. zz 2014: New Talent from Vietnam!, Wibani Art Gallery, Hong Kong zz 2012: Nguyen The Dung Oxen - Human Beings, Foundation, Netherlands. zz 2014: Art Stage Singapore. Viet Art Centre, Hanoi. zz 2014: Asia Contemporary Art Show Singapore. zz 2011: A herd of Unidentified Cows, Cactus zz 2014: Exhibition at Artha Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. zz 2013: Vietnam - Laos, Viet Art Center, Hanoi. contemporary art gallery, HCMC. zz 2012: Group Exhibition, “Self-portrait” Dogma Prize, Collector Dominic Scriven Organization zz 2011: Printing and painting international exhibition, Bangkok, Thailand. zz 2011: The National Festival for young artists, organized by the Ministry of Culture 2011: Sports and Tourism, Hanoi. zz 2010: One day, Trung Nguyen Creative Center, Hanoi. A bandonment, Viet Art Centre, Hanoi. zz 2007: Red River fine arts prize and exhibition, Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam zz 2006: A painting exhibition in Germany. 4

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A herd of one single cow The subject matter in art is a patch of reality. Each artist has a key turn, became reasonable through a series cows lined up on an unidentified flat theme defined by the reality in life of “why” questions. Why does the cow ground, alludes to the cattle-herd mentality which is most familiar to him. But body has the human hand in place of its that is so popular in the present society, art icon is not so, though such icon also head? Why all the cows are identical from from the way of dressing to the way of stems from life. Each icon being used in the posture, shape to color? Why do the thinking. People are even identical in their art works is perhaps the artist’s personal cows stick together? Why the human body feelings of happiness or sadness. They obsession, thus his own choice to adopt has a cow’s head? Why does it seem like a copy each other to dress in fashion, feeling this symbol, this object, this animal but not dead silence? a fashionable sadness or fashionable any other ones for his artistic creativity. happiness. Such choice is closely connected to the Such personified ideation in itself is readily artist’s past experience in life, even a a method of creation, not only for painting, Viewing the works of artists from the remote one, related to the events that not only for now, as it has always been in older generation, an aesthetic assessment caused the changes in his emotion, and arts, East and West alike. However, it does could be achieved immediately, and a variety of other areas such as memory, vary from time to time, from each artist spectators could in no time sense the psychology. Artistic obsession symbolized to another. Each artist has to handle his feeling being conveyed through the by art icons is, in most cases if not entirely, individual circumstance and experience to painting, be it joyous, optimistic, dreamy or undecipherable. In the case of artist find his own solution of personification in sorrow. The works of this new generation Nguyen The Dung, it is a cow. His very a significant way. Such significance could of artists take a longer time to view, art icon is a cow. He is obsessed by cow. only become achievable and sensible in and could not be quickly deciphered. Certainly, cow as the artistic icon does not the idiosyncratic personification. The artworks of today are not stringent equate to his artistic goal. Cow is not the in terms of aesthetic beauty or state of subject matter that he endeavors to depict, Unlike literature, the art of painting is not feeling. Rather, they pose questions. And but the means for the artist to reveal, about describing or telling a tale, neither those put forth in the works of Nguyen unfold his inner world. As such, despite of does it illustrate a literary idea. But the The Dung cause spectators to become his realistic style, with the thorough use paintings of today is so different from that awakened and ponderous, even bewildered of light, shades and chiaroscuro effects, of the past. Instead of solely focusing but empowered to search for one’s own none of his cow is complete nor in full on the demand of visual aesthetic, the answer. shape, yet identifiable. All of his cows are art of today needs to offer a “story”, a headless. In lieu of the cow head, a hand, a “question” as well. Nguyen The Dung put The departure point of Nguyen The Dung’s human hand sticks out. Such depiction has forth many a questions. Yet there is no paintings is realistic description, yet his transgressed the border between realism answer, or to be more precise, no absolute style is not purely the art of painting, but a and surrealism, between reasonable correct answer. The image of cows lying blend with graphic arts in his application and unintelligible. The cow heads-hands submissively on the red-carpeted stairs of the even, smooth background with extend out, flip upward, hold their own suggests a juxtaposition between the minimal use of chiaroscuro technique, tails, hold their own hind legs, hold each rural and the urban, the rich and the poor, and recurring forms with unsophisticated other. Is it a state of mental tug-of-war, the formal and unruly. Fashionable office details in simple composition. It then of tormented, of silenced wrath or of guys with identical striped shirts, suits, transforms on to surrealism, and to some endurance? They could be called (plural) shiny black shoes are in human body but extends, pop-art. Dung possesses an cows or a (single) cow, it works either having a cow’s head with the wide open uncommon palette, with the hues and way, or could that even be called A herd of eyes. Human is cow, cow is human. Is tones seem like an echo of a remote place one single cow? Because all his cows are it the impact of the rural nativity or the and time in pale purple, light pink, ochre, the same, sticking together, overlapping absurdity of the urban dweller who opted grey, all invoking a nostalgia, anxiety and each other, lined up in ranks and files, in to learn the bad habits of the peasants, regret. Such choice of color reflects well linear and atmospheric perspective. Such and vice versa the peasant just want to the spiritual life and artistic life of Nguyen homogeneity and unintelligibility shall, in adopt the bad influence of the city life? The The Dung. composed setting, in which the identical Le Thiet Cuong | 8. 2011 6

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Present Oil On Canvas 105cm X 135cm 2019 8

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A New Chess Game Oil On Canvas 114cm X 162cm 2019 10

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Silence Oil On Canvas 114cm X 162cm 2019 12

Way back Oil On Canvas 130cm X 162cm 2018 13

Vintage Playmate Oil On Canvas Oil On Canvas 90cm X 115cm 162cm X 194cm 2017 2019 14

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Highland Oil On Canvas 140cm X 194cm 2019 16

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Three brothers Oil On Canvas 114cm X 162cm 2019 18

Two friends Oil On Canvas 112cm X 145cm 2018 19

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Enjoyment Oil On Canvas 105cm X 135cm 2019 21

Home Oil On Canvas 62cm X 92cm 2019 22

A Life Story Oil On Canvas 105cm X 134cm 2019 23

Past Oil On Canvas 105cm X 135cm 2019 24

New day Oil On Canvas 105cm X 135cm 2019 25

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Quiet Oil On Canvas 112cm X 145cm 2018 27

Stories Oil On Canvas 114cm X 162cm 2019 28

The three Operators Oil On Canvas 105cm X 135cm 2016 29

Position Oil On Canvas 60cm X 92cm 2019 30

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Memory Oil On Canvas 60cm X 92cm 2018 32

Color of the future Oil On Canvas 162cm X 194cm 2019 33

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Monologue Oil On Canvas 162cm X 194cm 2019 35

Portrait Oil On Canvas 30cm X 60cm 2019 36

Mystery Oil On Canvas 114cm X 162cm 2019 37

I would like the combination between classic art and pop art. The classic beauty demands a good illustration technique and a well-trained master of colors. Pop art, on the other hand, brings a modern beauty which is very practical, familiar and unphilosophical. I love paintings with big size. Standing in front of a big size canvas enlarging some little tiny subjects with my floating mind rouses me to create my art work excitedly. My paintings tend to put my subjects in a direct point of view, make a fully impression and emphasize the opposite sizes among them. In terms of colors, I favor different types ones. Although my still life paintings here all have fictional spaces in a surreal tendency, but I honestly do not pay much attention on drawing. Sometimes, people look at my paintings and asking, what does “this” or “that” means? Sometimes, they share their personal feelings with their own far imagination. For example, why do I paint a still life painting of a papaya. Does it represent to a comfortably life (In Vietnamese, papaya sounds like a happy and wealty life)? Why do I paint a chair? Does it symbolize of a social position of a person who sits on that chair? I want my artworks fully concentrate on simpleness only paint what I like. Artwork has its own life and every audience has the right to interpret that one in his own style. And I do appreciate that. NGUYEN THE DUNG 38

studio nguyen the dung 39

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