Artist satisfies appetite for innovation in new exhibition
A new exhibit titled Food for Thought at Galerie Quynh in HCM City’s District 1 offers a surrealistic take on the theme of food and people.
In his first exhibition in his native country, New York-based artist Nguyen Gia Trong is displaying provocative works that tease viewers’ imaginations.
Upon entering the showroom, guests see a table and 13 chairs in wood called The Last Dinner, in which the artist uses acrylic to feature images of food and drink on top of a table, which is made of canvas and hung on the wall.
In 12 works called Spaghetti and Meatball, Trong’s image of cakes and noodles are accompanied by many questions and statements, such as "What is the score?" and "No girls?"
Other striking works include the Library series, which uses rice in nylon bags to depict words and letters from books in the artist’s library.
Trong say he wanted to tease his viewers with unobtainable temptations: the food you can’t eat, the books you can’t read, the buried treasure that can never be uncovered.
Born in Sai Gon in 1971, Trong graduated with a master’s degree in painting from the University of South Florida.
He has participated in several solo and group exhibitions in many countries, such as Sequences 2006 in Iceland, 9th Havana Biennial in Cuba, Conflux 2007 and Performa 05 in the US.
He has received grants from several prestigious sponsors, including the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Puffin Foundation.
He is now participating in the US-based Fashion in Film Festival’s advisory board.
He also works as a lecturer for two well-known schools, New York University and Colombia University, both in New York City.
The exhibition, which will end on March 14, can be seen at Galerie Quynh at 65 De Tham Street, District 1. The gallery is open from 10am to 6pm every day and closed on Sunday and Monday.
0 comments:
Post a Comment