VietNamNet Bridge – Portraits expressing people’s loneliness and misery are on display at an ongoing exhibition by visual artist Nguyen Cong Hoai.

Emotions: Portraits expressing people’s loneliness and misery are on display at the on-going exhibition of visual artist Nguyen Cong Hoai.

With the title Ngot, Ngop (Suffocated), the exhibition comprises 18 portraits of people who are suffering pressure and torment.

“I want to discover people’s minds,” he said. “Through the paintings of distorted faces, I portray the conflict inside the mind, the misery and loneliness people are suffering from and the conflict between people’s inner world and outer world.”

Hoai was born in 1984 and works as a self-taught painter using his perception, senses and instincts. He is known for portraits expressing people’s complicated inner feelings. He has organised three solo exhibitions.

Since 2010, he has devoted all his efforts to his art, and his emotion is reflected in the faces of the portraits of people around him. “People said the right thing comes at the right moment and I believe I have recognised my passion for art and chased it down in due time. I have learned by going to many exhibitions around town, seeing paintings on the internet, books and life as much as I can as well as asking for ideas from others,” he said.

Inner life: A visitor considers artworks by Nguyen Cong Hoai at the exhibition. — VNS Photos Minh Thu

“I know many visitors can find it difficult to enjoy and understand my paintings, but I can’t perform visual art in a different way.”

The exhibition will run until March 23 at the Dong A Gallery, 115 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi. 

Source: VNS