- Venue
- Apricot Gallery UK
- Location
- London
It is the use of colour that particularly intrigues artists and those whom enjoy bright colours against grey subject matter and seek a spiritual fulfilment from painting, this exhibition would come as highly recommended. Genesis is recognised as the beginning of life in the bible and has become a word that symbolises the start of something remarkable. Genesis is titled as such to symbolise neither the first nor the last exhibition that speaks the minds of emerging and established artists from Vietnam through painting. A medium such as painting has become viewed by some as obsolete or limiting, but to fill a gallery space with paintings of this intensity tends to prove a deal breaker.
The purpose of the Apricot Gallery is the promotion of new contemporary Vietnamese art and therefore, a new culture is visible to those of us who may be unfamiliar to the country’s history and culture. Dang Xuan Hoa, Do Quang Em, Hong Viet Dung, Le Quy Tong and Pham Luan bring their own individual styles to this exhibit of work that is deeply personal.
The artists’ styles range from contemporary Abstract to Portrait, Landscape to Expressionism and the themes are not too constrained to first-hand experience although in another exhibition or gallery, there would have probably been works that show an imaginary way of life, as depicted by contemporary Vietnamese artists exploring cultural difference.
There is a gathering of Asian art that is overall tranquil despite the violence of the Vietnam conflict of 1955-1975. There is a feeling of harmony among the artists and artwork participating, as there are explorations into dimensions, perspective, Western art, Vietnamese government and human memory. Dang Xuan Hoa presents us Westerners with a somewhat familiar two-dimensional reminiscent of Cubism; whilst Do Quang Em brings a sight of traditional still-life oil paintings to our minds as that of the 19th Century artists. His range of work also includes portraits of that evoke a deep connection to his family and Vietnamese culture. Hong Viet Dung’s distinguishing visions of Vietnamese landscapes and figures encapsulate Eastern pictorial principles with Buddhist meditations on life versus Le Quy Tong’s more violent brush strokes painting images of Vietnamese military and unconventional images of portraits and infrastructures. The paintings of blurred photographs by Pham Luan border on Abstract art and non-figurative work, which is a treat to photographers armed with a camera and knowledge of Photoshop.
A topping on this gallery and exhibition would have to be the two Buddha statues in the basement level, which really hold the spiritual aura and chi of the setting to a memorising effect. The statues by the way are not art works but nonetheless hold the gallery together as almost being a foreign space with mesmerising exhibitions. Although it may appear a little tightly spaced for the collection, the Apricot Gallery still holds the potential for some excellent Vietnamese exhibitions to come. Hopefully there will be some deeper explorations into medium in the future projects, but until then please enjoy this gallery and its exhibitions.
