The journey from flat to multidimensional space in Dinh Phong's works

Work - the element that identifies the creator

Although he has only appeared in the art world for a few years, Dinh Phong's name is recognized as a new phenomenon in the flow of contemporary Vietnamese art. He entered art without going through school, only by self-studying by watching, reading, and exchanging with previous artists, nurturing admiration and a spirit of constant exploration .

However, that is why his works seem not to be constrained by academics or stereotypes to create a unique style. According to art researcher Quach Cuong, as a self-taught person, Dinh Phong is not bound by academic standards, does not seek to illustrate the world but lets the world manifest itself through emotions.

1(4).jpg — The public viewed the exhibition.

According to art researcher Vu Huy Thong, exhibition curator, people who practice painting or sculpture have extremely diverse starting points, due to the myriad of individual, collective or social needs, and different eras. And to identify creators, today, the concept of "art practitioner" is more suitable than the noun "painter, sculptor" which contains prejudices about achievements and professional qualifications. Dinh Phong is such an "art practitioner".

Also because he did not go to school, Dinh Phong surprised everyone when he created an impressive amount of works. Appearing for the first time with the solo exhibition "Flying Man and Surreal Dream" (2020), "Surreal Dream" (2021) along with a joint exhibition with sculptor Dao Chau Hai in 2022, he now has a "fortune" of hundreds of works, using many materials that require time, technique and large material costs. "Observing that number of works, no one would think that it was the result after only about 5 years of work. Only by practicing continuously, even without setting artistic goals for his work, could Dinh Phong do that," said curator Vu Huy Thong.

Colleagues are quite excited about Dinh Phong's works.

Paintings and statues are in harmony

Artist Dinh Phong came to art through painting. His paintings do not sketch or restrict the composition, he lets his hands and colors follow the rhythm of his emotions. Art researcher Quach Cuong believes that this is what brings about a free and authentic energy, an energy that only appears in artists who dare to "paint with their souls".

However, despite the many ambiguous, distorted, surreal projections, Dinh Phong still uses quite clear lines to delineate shapes, creating a background for the viewer's eye to recognize the structure. Curves, straight lines, connected or overlapping blocks of shapes often suggest depth - light, shadow, or shading when blocks of color, blocks of shape overlap or nest together.
“Dinh Phong often lets the blocks of color move on the canvas like streams - they do not dissolve but collide, swirl, drift and interact. As a result, the surface of the painting becomes “alive” - light radiates from within, creating the feeling of watching a moving sky,” researcher Quach Cuong commented.

According to Mr. Quach Cuong, from an aesthetic perspective, this is a form of creation often referred to as “the spontaneous generation of shape and color” - when the image is no longer forced to resemble reality, but becomes a symbol of the inner self. Dinh Phong’s paintings are therefore like a free, soaring soul, finding a balance between reality and illusion.

In the three previous exhibitions, Dinh Phong only used acrylic on canvas, which according to curator Vu Huy Thong was not remarkable in terms of both material and technique, except for the strange panel system and shapes in the abstract painting style. However, in this fourth exhibition, artist Dinh Phong had remarkable innovations when using mostly metal to replace common painting materials. His paintings are still basically two-dimensional surfaces, but copper sheets are etched with acid, painted, heated, ground, hammered, punched... When combined with crumpled metal mesh or acrylic paint using gluing and splicing techniques, they have created a new aesthetic impression.

Researcher Quach Cuong believes that, entering the creative period of 2024 - 2025, Dinh Phong has moved away from the plane of canvas - which is the traditional space of painting - to open a new direction of practice, beyond the limits of the plane. If Dinh Phong's paintings are the flow of energy, then his sculptures are the form of that energy. The materials he chose - bronze, stainless steel and enameled ceramic - allow him to both express density and expand the void, creating an effect that is both visible and invisible. Dinh Phong handles the blocks with a very delicate feeling: The surfaces are curved, spread out, sometimes blooming out of the axis - creating a feeling of reaching out of itself as if the matter is liberating itself from the limits of matter... That is the sculptural language of freedom, similar to the way he handles color space in painting: not dense but open, not dense but breathing, not ending but spreading...

2(3).jpg — Artist Dinh Phong does not name each work but simply calls it “painting” or “statue”, allowing viewers to freely contemplate and draw their own personal experiences.

From emotions to philosophy of life

For artist Dinh Phong, his fourth exhibition is the result of a journey of both creativity and overcoming impasses. He said he started painting 5 years ago, but when he kept working with the same material and motif, he no longer felt interested. During his impasse, Dinh Phong turned to observe the material world around him. Then he chose bronze, iron, and metal mesh to experiment.

“ Finding new material is like being lost in a dark forest and suddenly seeing light. I feel like I am drifting in the middle of the ocean, my boat is sinking but I have found a life buoy, I am so happy” , artist Dinh Phong shared.

According to researchers, Dinh Phong's paintings and sculptures have one thing in common, which is the interaction between humans and the universe. His works not only create visual effects but also evoke a philosophical idea about the fate of matter and humans in the universe, all of which are corroded by time. For Dinh Phong, each crack, each rust patch is not accidental but a symbol of the necessary imperfection of existence. It can be said that Dinh Phong is a rare case in Vietnam today: Starting from painting but thinking like a sculptor.

Sharing at the exhibition, artist Thanh Chuong said that he came to see the paintings with excitement and surprise. He had to touch the paintings, observe them carefully and was extremely excited because he did not expect that new materials could be applied to art so well. Artist Thanh Chuong said that although he is a person who likes change, he has never dared to make such a strong breakthrough. For Dinh Phong, that breakthrough creates an effective, beautiful and extremely interesting artistic impression.

According to researcher Quach Cuong, looking back at all of artist Dinh Phong's works, one can see a clear "evolutionary journey": from imagination to matter, from flat surface to space, from emotion to philosophy. His success shows the power of intuitive thinking combined with self-knowledge, a testament to the ability to form a creative philosophy - something very rare in contemporary Vietnamese art.

Source: https://congluan.vn/hanh-trinh-tu-mat-phang-den-khong-gian-da-chieu-trong-sang-tac-cua-dinh-phong-10320306.html