in bloom | nguyen tran cuong
19 JAN - 25 FEB 2017
"In Bloom" is the latest collection of works from Vietnamese artist Nguyen Tran Cuong. The exhibition features lacquer paintings of floral arrangements, captured as objects of beauty and the blooming of which act as visual indicators of the seasons.
Nguyen is close to nature. From his near open-air studio, he observes and feels the seasons as they come and go. The blooming and blossoming at different times of the year act as visual cues to the changing seasons and provide him with the inspiration for these works. Nguyen paints floral arrangements in vases or pots, devoid of all pretention and plainly capturing the essence of simple beauty using the richness in tone and depth that only Vietnamese lacquer can give. As an overview of the exhibition, the presence of all the different floral species blooming together within a shared vacuum transforms the gallery space into a place of timelessness and contemplation.
"In Bloom" does not only offer a glimpse to Nguyen’s personal quiet pondering on the subject, it also serves as an invitation for viewers to pause and re-experience the beauty of seasonality.
Nguyen Tran Cuong (b. 1979, Hanoi, Vietnam) received his Bachelor of Arts, major in Traditional Lacquer, from the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, in 2004. He currently lives and works in Hanoi. His works have been exhibited extensively across Asia and Europe. He has notably won a prize at the Philip Morris ASEAN 2003 Fine Arts Competition and participates actively in artist workshops and residencies across Asia.
綻放》是越南籍藝術家Nguyen Tran Cuong新的作品系列。Nguyen透過以瓷漆繪畫的花卉作品，捕捉花卉為美學物件及其綻放作為季節轉變的視覺特徵。
Nguyen 非常喜愛親近大自然。他常於半露天的工作室觀察和感受季節交替。一年中不同時期盛開的花朵揭示著季節的變化，並為藝術家帶來靈感。Nguyen以簡約的繪畫風格去表達插在花瓶或盆栽中的花朵，以瓷漆獨有的豐富色調及深度去捕捉簡約美的精粹。整體而言，展覽中不同品種的花卉於一個共享空間同時綻放，把畫廊空間轉化成一個永恆的寧靜和沈思的地方。
Nguyen是一個熱愛本土文化及富有詩意的藝術家，而這在他的作品中始終如一地反映出來。在選擇題材方面，他經常引用神話和傳說；在物料方面，他則於手工製作紙上使用顏料及傳統瓷漆。越南瓷漆與其他類型的瓷漆主要區別在於它首先要鋪設多達二十層的瓷漆，然後以砂紙磨出底層的顔色去勾出圖案，過程艱辛，重複，複雜。隨著偶爾添加的金屬粉末及其他媒介，越南瓷漆在視覺上帶出意想不到的深度效果，及同時保持完美光滑的表面。正如藝術家所說：「它可以通過其他媒介無法實現的神秘色彩和色調，傳遞我的思緒。」
《綻放》不僅是Nguyen對於主題、媒介及本土文化的個人見解，更是邀請觀眾停下步伐去重新體驗季節性美的展覽。
Nguyen Tran Cuong生於1979年越南河內，他於2004年從河內美術工業大學獲得文學士，主修傳統瓷漆。他的作品曾於亞洲及歐洲被廣泛展出。在2003年，他獲得由Philip Morris所創立的ASEAN藝術大賽獎項，及經常參與藝術家工作坊和亞洲區的藝術家駐留計畫。