Painter Nguyen Xuan Luc will hold his first solo exhibition called “Particles” at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi from March 11 to 18, featuring 34 square-sized and rectangular works and 16 round paintings.

“Particles” depicts the fragility and insignificance of human beings - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER

The artworks were inspired by the song “Cat Bui” (Sand and dust) by late musician Trinh Cong Son:

“Grain of dust, morphed into me

Let my being one day rise and blossom

Oh wonders, sand and dust!

Let the sun shine through a rambling life…”

“The universal theme of all my works is the perception of fragility and voidness of the life of men. We always feel insignificant and desolate when looking into the infinite space of our universe,” said Nguyen Xuan Luc.

“The universe evokes our feeling of curiosity and wonder mixed with fear. And it is also the origin of our most essential question on the meaning of human existence. If we would be able to look at everything around us as a miniature offshoot of the heavenly bodies, then we would better realize the true essence of our own existence. It would enable us to live with more meaning and more compassion.”

Luc was born in 1983 in Phu Xuyen District in former Ha Tay Province (now merged into Hanoi City), a region well known for its traditional crafts like mosaic, lacquer and wine making.

He graduated from the lacquer faculty of Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts in 2007 and dedicated his career to lacquer painting ever since. Before organizing this first solo exhibition, he took part in 17 group exhibitions in Vietnam and abroad.

In 2017, his work “Particles in Space” received third prize at the Young Fine Art Festival organized by the Administration for Fine Art and Photography of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The prize marked a milestone in his creative inspirational journey exploring the fragility and insignificance of human beings in society, nature and the infinite universe of space and time.

Below are some artworks that will be displayed at the exhibition:

SGT