‘Fragments of Nostalgia’ includes the latest series of lacquer paintings by artist Nguyen Tuan Cuong, following his signature series of still life paintings. Still full of poetry, rich in narrative, however, Mr. Cuong’s works this time seem to go beyond the familiar secrecy and calm, become more challenging, explore the relationship in space-time and meditate on presences-absences, shapes and shadows.
The exhibition “Fragments of Nostalgia” displays the latest works of painter Nguyen Tuan Cuong.
“With Nguyen Tuan Cuong’s paintings, we find ourselves placed in a dark, quiet but not lonely space. Then, from within that discreet, private but very gentle atmosphere, shapes seemed to emerge, just clear enough to catch the eye, but at the same time concealed, engulfed in the penumbra of the paint, the threshold space between the illuminated part and the completely dark part.
The floors, layers of black lacquer and brown paint are thick and dark, opening up very deep and dark space. Placed in that abyss are a few objects. So quiet and small, they are just there, simply to highlight the space that surrounds them, and to anchor our gaze to prevent it from getting lost.
Familiar household items such as bowls, jars, vases, or kerosene lamps, which have existed for thousands of years, seem to drag us back in time, back to the distant past, now it is only reminded through a few ancient customs and oral stories”, excerpted from the article for the exhibition of the artist Oanh Phi Phi.
The familiar household items in Nguyen Tuan Cuong’s paintings seem to pull us back in time.
Artist Nguyen Tuan Cuong was born in 1978 in Hanoi. After graduating from the University of Industrial Fine Art in 2001, majoring in Lacquer Painting, Mr. Cuong diligently pursued this traditional material and gradually established himself as one of the outstanding lacquer artists of Vietnam today.
His still-life lacquer works are poetic, rich in narrative, telling the story of space on the one hand – the delicate relationship between the object and the space that surrounds it, and on the other hand it also depicts vague reflections on the flow of time.
“Fragments of Nostalgia” is open from July 9 to August 9, 2021, at Manzi, located at No. 14, Phan Huy Ich. Due to the Covid-19 situation, visitors to the exhibition are asked to wash their hands and wear a mask before entering the exhibition space.
Ngoc Hung