Exhibition EARTH
From September 29th to November 17th, Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) introduces solo exhibition “ĐẤT – EARTH” with over 70 abstract paintings, demonstrating unique experiments by renowned Vietnamese artist Lý Trực Sơn.
EARTH features 71 latest artworks by Lý Trực Sơn, mostly created over the past three years, from 2021 to 2024, with 16 large-scale paintings up to 4.2 m x 2.1 m in size. Following his success with sanding lacquer and Dó paper, this exhibition marks a significant milestone in Lý Trực Sơn’s career, showcasing the culmination of ten years of relentless creativity and exploration in pursuit of a new artistic language.
Driven by a deep ambition to craft a distinctive artistic language, Lý Trực Sơn embodies the spirit of Western art, drawing inspiration from pre-Renaissance ideals and the artistic languages of Tapies, Rothko, Giacometti, and Uecker, while also embracing the cultural essence of the East, evident in the folk motifs, patterns, and forms of the Lý and Trần dynasties. Experimenting with primitive natural materials such as soil, stone, sand, and plants, Lý Trực Sơn taps into the primal origins of abstract language, striving to capture and preserve the enigmatic mysteries of the time and space in which he exists.
Having bid farewell to lacquer – a traditional visual medium synonymous with his name – and the fluidity of paper, which accompanied him through his years of wandering abroad, EARTH represents a profound convergence of materials, space, time, creative language, mindset, and artistic spirit.
The artworks featured in this exhibition reflect Lý Trực Sơn’s contemplation on an abstract manner, a multilayer cultural approach. Rather than attempting to decipher and interpret the meaning behind the more than 70 pieces on display, EARTH invites viewers to immerse themselves in a state of trance, contemplating the enigmatic allure that emanates from the artist’s unconscious or the physicality of the materials Ly Truc Son has carefully distilled to craft his unique cosmology.
During the course of the exhibition, VCCA will also host various satellite events such as artist talks and art tours to bring contemporary art closer to the public.
Exhibition EARTH opens from September 29th to November 17th, 2024 at Vincom Center for Contemporary Art VCCA, B1-R3 Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, 72A Nguyễn Trãi, Thanh Xuân District, Hà Nội.
Artist information
Artist Lý Trực Sơn was born in 1949 in Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam to an intellectual family that had greatly contributed to the country’s revolution. He graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 1979 and later taught there. During his hustle life, Lý Trực Sơn was in the military, studied abroad in France (on the French government’s scholarship for École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, Paris) and lived in Europe for many years (1989 – 1998).
Lý Trực Sơn experimented with many materials including sanding lacquer, Dó paper and mixed media. His works reflect the social and political currents, as well as his own journey. He co-founded Sơn Ta group and was an avid member from 2013 to 2018. Sơn Ta’s main goal was to experiment and develop a distinct visual language for lacquer to carry on the spirit of the Fine Arts School of Indochina.
Some of his notable exhibitions includes Chốn này (2009), Không vô can và Ballad Biển Đông (2010), 5th Beijing International Art Biennale, China (2012), Tố Nữ Dân Ca (2015), Đất và Dó (2017). His works are also included in many prestigious Vietnamese and international collections such as The Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts, National Gallery Prague and some private collections.
