Today, contemporary art has branched out to many different schools of thought. We no longer use art solely as a way to portray our external senses, but also to express our deeper emotions. The revelation of internal feelings and emotions then forms a personal language or an individual intonation of the artist by the use of their chosen medium.

At a certain point in time, the discernment of trends and schools does not make as much sense as the identification/recognition of the artworks themselves. This is represented by notable artists such as Nguyen Tan Cuong, Do Hoang Tuong, Tran Van Thao, Hua Thanh Binh and others. Take for example, the line in the poem, “cảm ơn hoa đã vì ta nở.” Without mentioning the name of either the writer or poem, readers can recognize the poet and that he is standing under the infinite blue sky.

Nguyen Tan Cuong has for a long time made endless efforts to pursue and form his own language, and today in Hanoi he is presenting his fourth solo exhibition. With his own technical expertise in “mixed media”, Cuong shares with his audience his courageous artistic practice – one with a depth of emotion depicted by colors and techniques interpreted in profound ways. He works uniquely with materials to create stunning paintings full of spatial ambiance and depth.

It is a widely known prejudice that artists are meant to create beauty. In fact, artists, musicians and writers use their own skills to first create what they love. With their personal touch, they give their work a soul; nurture it like their own child. Then they let it go. It might just linger nearby or it might take off. It might be short-lived or it might also last for eternity. But that is no longer the main concern of the artist. It is not up to him to decide. For a long time, it has been well understood that the path that artists pursue is harsh in order to create widely accepted and dearly loved pieces of art. However, the path itself is not the only concern, artists also need to expose their deepest hearts – it is something not everyone could imagine.

Creativity is not a random act that can be created by aimless brush strokes and colors. Absolutely not, especially by the language of non-figuration , the prime objective of abstract art is to transmit the artist’s emotions and aesthetics via shapes and colors, not storytelling. The title of this exhibition is “Light” and that is the light of Cuong – the way he sees, feels and paints it radiantly.