THE FOLIAGE V – THE TOUCH OF SCIENCE | CURATORIAL TEXT
"Science describes accurately from outside, poetry describes accurately from inside. Science explicates, poetry implicates. Both celebrate what they describe." - Ursula K. Le Guin
The 21st century marks an unprecedented turning point in the history of human knowledge. Never before have systems of artificial intelligence, new materials, life sciences, and digital technologies possessed such profound power to shape the world we live in. Technology is no longer merely a tool; it has become a force – one that restructures our notions of humanity, cognition, culture, and aesthetics. Today, we step into the dawn of a hybrid reality: where thought coexists with data, where matter becomes intelligent, where light itself becomes a signifier of knowledge, and where the boundaries between human–machine–nature are no longer fixed lines.
In this context, a question resounds more urgently than ever: What will art do in the face of such transformation? The rise of technology does not push art into passivity; on the contrary, it compels art to return to its very essence—as a mode of reflection, dialogue, and contemplation. If science expands our capacity to understand the world, art expands our capacity to feel the world, to imagine it anew, and to articulate questions that no equation or algorithm can resolve.
It is within this line of thought that “THE FOLIAGE V – THE TOUCH OF SCIENCE” emerges. Celebrating the 5th anniversary of the VinFuture Prize and the 5th edition of VCCA’s TOẢ exhibition series, the two non-profit institutions within Vingroup meet at the intersection of science and art: where knowledge encounters intuition, where data meets symbolism, where matter meets emotion, and where technique meets imagination.
The exhibition marks a significant milestone for contemporary Vietnamese art: for the first time, art—in its generational, geographical, and linguistic diversity – engages directly with scientific inquiry as a means of positioning itself in the world of the future.
“THE FOLIAGE V – THE TOUCH OF SCIENCE” brings together nine artists from various regions, each pursuing different forms of practice—from sculpture, painting, and installation to light art and environmental art. What matters is not the diversity of mediums, but a convergence of thinking: a shared desire to question the role of art in the technological age and the position of humans within the broader ecosystem of knowledge and life. This is not a return to any aesthetic manifesto, but rather an assertion: Vietnamese art is undergoing a powerful shift, ready to enter a global conversation on issues that concern humanity—from ecology to technology, from artificial intelligence to new materials, from agricultural memory to planetary futures. In a world where scientific advancement often outpaces society’s ability to adapt, art takes on the role of the one who slows down, who contemplates, who safeguards the depths of human experience. For this reason, “THE FOLIAGE V – THE TOUCH OF SCIENCE” is not merely an exhibition, but a collective act of contemplation – a momentary invitation to pause and listen to how the world is transforming.
Departing from linear, chronological structures or rigid thematic groupings, the exhibition is organized as an open cognitive map, allowing each visitor to craft their own trajectory. The space does not prescribe a sequence; instead, it encourages wandering, drifting, touching – letting layers of emotion guide the journey. The five “touchpoints” are not five separate galleries, but five realms of thought where science appears as living knowledge, and art becomes a tool to illuminate, deconstruct, and reimagine these realms.
The exhibition opens with the image of a grain of rice – a symbol of wet-rice civilization, of Vietnamese memory, and of Eastern philosophies of origin. The seed is not merely a biological object; it is the residue of history, a unit of time, a silent archive of interactions between humans, land, and harvest. Here, agricultural science and art meet: both seek the essence of life beginning from the smallest of things.
In a space of quietude, the late artist Lê Thiết Cương brings us back to the origins of the world – where life emerges from silence, from micro-movements of roots, soil, seasons, and wind. His work is simple yet profound, embodying the depth of a world that existed long before technology became the driving force of our era.
From this point of origin, the viewer’s journey continues through Vitalism | Biomedical for Humanity Section with works by Lê Giang and Lê Đăng Ninh; Structura | Materials of the Future Section with works by Bùi Quốc Khánh and Đỗ Hà Hoài; Neuroverse | The Realm of Wisdom Section with works by Đỗ Hiệp and Phạm Minh Hiếu; and Terraforma | Environmental Science Section with works by Vũ Bình Minh and Trịnh Minh Tiến – where the cycle of life unfolds once again. The environment is not an external setting, but an ecosystem of which humans are inseparable. Soil, water, atmosphere, and energy form structures that converse with one another – subtle yet fragile. These works remind us that every technological advancement, however sophisticated, still operates within the limits of this planet. Metal structures dissolving into air become metaphors for a truth: humanity cannot exist apart from nature.
What connects the exhibition’s points of encounter is not medium or theme, but a foundational question: What keeps the world in motion? Life? Light? Intelligence? Matter? Or the inexhaustible human capacity for imagination? This question brings us back to a primordial moment of knowledge – when science had not yet fragmented into disciplines and art had not yet branched into genres. In that moment, the world was not divided; it simply whispered. And humans, guided by intuition, began to listen.
“THE FOLIAGE V – THE TOUCH OF SCIENCE” seeks to bring viewers back to that moment – where original curiosity becomes the driving force behind both science and art.
In an age where science advances faster than society can contemplate, art becomes a slower rhythm: a refuge, a reflective space, a pause allowing us to return to ourselves. The exhibition extends an invitation: to stop for a moment, step into the journey of five encounters, and listen to what the world is whispering through the languages of art and science.
For perhaps, in order to grasp the future, we must first return to our most primordial questions – the ones humanity has pursued for thousands of years: Who are we in this expanding world? And where are we headed under the light of knowledge?
Do Tuong Linh
