On December 21, at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi, Nguyen Trong Tai officially opened his solo exhibition Reflected light, featuring 29 works created over the past five years.

His oil paintings often revolve around themes of ruins and ancient architecture, evoking a deep sense of historical passage and the erosion of time. These works carry muted color palettes and structured compositions, reflecting a serious, direct perspective on ancestral civilization. Alongside this, Tai has long pursued the theme of ballet since his days as an art student - producing oil pieces that have attracted public and collector interest.

Recently, the artist has invested deeply in pastel as a primary medium. For Tai, pastels are no longer just a tool for sketching - they’ve become a full emotional language. Using refined layering and blending techniques, he conveys intangible elements such as light, air, humidity, and motion. In his ballet-themed backstage scenes, viewers can almost feel the dense air of the rehearsal room and the delicate flutter of a tulle skirt stilled after a spin.

The ballet series comprises 12 works in the exhibition, where Tai showcases the expressive potential of pastel. His dancers are not merely figures to be depicted, but carry an emotional depth - a quiet romanticism infused with Eastern sensibility. Additionally, a set of four nude paintings reflects a poetic and respectful approach. Here, the female body becomes a canvas for Tai to intertwine nature and cultural heritage, celebrating physical beauty without objectification.

Sharing his thoughts about the exhibition, Nguyen Trong Tai said: “Reflected light is the flash that emerges from fragments - ancient relics that have endured the ravages of time. It reflects a contrast between perfection and imperfection, between the past and the present. It is also the artist’s journey of self-discovery.”

Commenting on the exhibition, Luong Xuan Doan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, noted that Reflected light demonstrates the confidence and creative daring essential to Nguyen Trong Tai’s personal artistic journey. According to Doan, Tai’s dual focus on oil and pastel - along with his exploration of artifacts, female dancers, and the feminine body - carves out a distinctive path, showcasing his maturity and unique artistic voice.

Born in 1978 in Thai Nguyen, Nguyen Trong Tai graduated from the Hanoi University of Fine Arts (now Vietnam University of Fine Arts) in 2004, majoring in Printmaking. Before Reflected light, he had participated in numerous group exhibitions both in Vietnam and abroad. He currently works as an independent artist.

Tinh Le