Hue-based artist Truong The Linh will open his first solo gallery exhibition titled “Instability” at Craig Thomas Gallery in District 1 of HCMC on December 14.

One of Linh’s paintings in his new collection “Instability” - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER

In this exhibition, the young Vietnamese fine artist deals with contemporary figurative paintings, which focus on the medium of paint and how it reacts on the surface of his canvases.

The artist explores the sensuous realm of paint, skin and figuration seen in his earlier paintings. His style is unmistakably dramatic and unique and with his methodology, forming images of hidden expression.

Another important element in his paintings is light and shadow, which evoke an extreme contrast. The monochrome, mostly black backgrounds, puts the bodies in the foreground in a glaring spotlight.

The paintings’ protagonists are young men whose bodies seemingly emerge from the background without any contours. Linh’s characters become his own in the painting process. They express what he feels, which might be loneliness, confusion and all the inner states of mind which only come to light in intimate moments.

His figures seem hopeless, trapped in darkness. But in the black, the artist also expresses the light. Especially in his absence it becomes visible. The artist seeks the light absorbed by the black, while a white would merely reflect it. 

With “Instability”, Linh presents a devotional as well as profound artistic reflection of life. His pictures lead viewers to where they may be reluctant to go. They provide a projection of insecurity, and, as so often, it is the perspective from the edge that makes people visible.

SGT