Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Duc Phuong (aka Phuong Gio) will unveil his art at an exhibition at Manzi Art Space on Friday.

The solo exhibition Just by Being by artist Nguyen Duc Phuong will open to the public from Friday.

Entitled Just by Being, the solo exhibition presents paintings by Phuong on old books, pharmacopoeia or old bibles owned by Tay ethnic minority people from Tay Bac northwest mountainous region of Viet Nam using natural pigment originating from soil or flowers and plants.

The exhibition also includes a series of nine sculptures made of paper and clay, acting as a chronicle of a vanishing culture, but also bringing hope.

Commenting on Phuong’s works, art critic Do Tuong Linh wrote: "In all of his works, the way he sees the world is saturated with nostalgia, decadence, a mourning for things past but also full of Joie de vivre. Destruction and decay are inevitable in the circle of natural movement but it is also a hope for a rebirth. Overall, that nonchalant, carefree and simple spirit in Phuong’s artistic creations is his statement: Just by being."

Just by Being will open at 6pm tomorrow and be on display until November 26. Manzi Art Space is at 14 Phan Huy Ich Street. — VNS