Painting touches the inner self

Reality is calm

The works displayed in the exhibition Color and Emptiness (currently taking place at Chillala Art Space) by artist Tran Trung Linh, attract viewers with the introduction "Color is Emptiness, Emptiness is Color", a mantra in the Heart Sutra, which is manifested through each layer of color and each brushstroke of the artist. At the beginning of the exhibition, the paintings are full of color, strong images, and lots of movement, but as we go deeper, the colors fade, the images are simplified, and finally there are black and white patches, quiet as the mind lets go, no longer holding on.

Visitors to the exhibition Color and Emptiness (currently taking place at Chillala Art Space) by artist Tran Trung Linh

This is also a trend in painting, especially after the impact of the pandemic, many artists have chosen this style of creation. From Eastern ink paintings, to sumi-e (Japanese ink paintings known as a Zen style), to Western abstract art, many artists have used simplification as a path to infinity - where art is not just for viewing, but for awakening. Painter Tran Trung Linh analyzed: "The work is not simply visual art, but a metaphor of consciousness: when the colors dissolve, the viewer is faced with silence - not emptiness, but the fullness of awareness".

Painting from the inner self is often understood by many people as a way of meditating, but whether or not it touches meditation, for artist Tran Trung Linh, it is his own contemplation. He expressed: “The desire to express through paintings, making viewers feel and share a sense of calm reality, is the greatest wish of this exhibition. I temporarily borrowed Buddhist philosophy for this series of paintings, partly because I feel my mind is leaning towards that way of thinking, partly because there are also events in life that make me temporarily “realize” like that. However, the paintings are only based on ideas and do not depict the Heart Sutra.”

Reflect on yourself

Previously, the exhibition Women Painting Women took place at the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, introducing works that delved into the inner self, the painters seemed to reflect on themselves to send gentle and healing messages to the viewers. The exhibition posed a special situation - where the creative subject and the object of expression were one, and also where women chose to tell their own stories, through personal, honest and exploratory perspectives.

With 69 works displayed as confessions of 9 female artists participating in the exhibition, like whispering diaries, revealing the creative origins, the concerns and beliefs that burn in each brushstroke and color of themselves. Those whispers invite viewers to slow down, listen - to not only see the paintings, but also feel the paintings with their hearts, where colors are not just colors, but also vivid emotions; where shapes are not just shapes, but also echoes from within.

Artist Dang Hien, one of the nine female artists participating in the exhibition, expressed: “Women are always present as a source of life, gentle but strong, fragile but persistent. They are the inspiration, the place where my art begins. Each work is a personal journey, where I touch my memories, find my mother, and talk to myself. There is hurt, there is desire, but also full of light, love and gratitude. I paint to share, to connect and to heal. If someone finds peace in my work, then my art is complete.”

Or artist Nguyen Thuy Duong, a mother of four children, her work represents a part of her own life, with the image of a pregnant woman's role - giving birth, created in a minimalist style. The full curves are a symbol of fertility in contemporary visual language, the pregnant woman appears as the center of life, of transformation and reproduction.

Artist Thuy Duong shared: “For me, the beauty of pregnancy is not only in the full body, but also in the blossoming of the inner self, where creative, loving and sacred energy is hidden. I believe that, when present in the living space, these works will spread vitality, love and connect deeply with the source of being human. This is not an exhibition to admire beauty, but a space for people to sympathize, reflect, and find themselves in things that seem to belong to others.”

The 4th Uncle Ho in My Heart Contest 2025

In order to create conditions for readers to have the opportunity to learn more about President Ho Chi Minh, affirm the great significance, practical value, and influence of studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, moral example, and style, and at the same time arouse the passion for reading, encourage and promote the reading movement in schools and communities, Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library organizes the 4th Uncle Ho in My Heart contest in 2025 for readers in the library system.

Accordingly, readers share their feelings about a book or work that is allowed to be circulated by President Ho Chi Minh, or by other authors about him, which has inspired, raised awareness, and oriented learning and following the ideology, morality and style of President Ho Chi Minh. Entries include the following forms: written feelings, video clips (performed by the contestants themselves), drawings (never published)... The preliminary round of the contest takes place from now until June 15. Qualified works will participate in the final round of the contest. The closing and award ceremony is scheduled for July 18. Contestants send their entries to the address: phongdoc@thuvientphcm.gov.vn. For more information about the contest, visit the website: https://thuvientphcm.gov.vn.

HO SON

Ho Chi Minh City organizes public art performances using Video Art technology

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just issued a document agreeing to the proposal of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports on the plan to socialize the form of propaganda, promotion of literary and artistic works and the Ho Chi Minh City art brand using Video Art and multi-sensory performance technology. The organization of promotional activities will be carried out by Creative Arts Trading and Service Company Limited. The organization time is from now until the end of the Lunar New Year of Binh Ngo 2026, at 23/9 Park, Ben Thanh metro station area (area A).

Accordingly, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City will preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to develop a specific plan with a time schedule for the promotion of literary and artistic works in the city for the period 2025-2027, combining the content and form of promoting literary and artistic works and artistic brands. Develop a plan to organize the "Shine Essence" Creative Art Space to strengthen the socialization of propaganda activities and promotion of literary and artistic works in the city, creating a strong spread of artistic values ​​in social life.

LIBRA

Chamber Music Concert Art Program

On the evening of May 25, at the City Theater, the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet, Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) organized a Chamber Music Concert. The program brought to the audience who love classical music the special musical works of world-famous composers such as: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti, Dmitri Shostakovich, Camille Saint-Saens or Johann Sebastian Bach... The works will bring the audience to a variety of emotions, from gentle relaxation to strong, vibrant melodies.

The concert features Meritorious Artist Pham Khanh Ngoc (soprano), Meritorious Artist Tang Thanh Nam (violin), A Tach (fagot), Tran Thuy San (piano), Nguyen Truong Hoang Yen (flute), Hoang Ngoc Anh Quan (clarinet), Pham Khanh Toan (oboe), and especially two guest artists: Nguyen Hoang Tung (oboe) and Korean female artist Ju Sun Young (piano). Ju Sun Young is a pianist with extensive performance experience in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Ju taught piano at Tabor University, USA and holds a Master's and Doctorate in piano performance from the University of Kansas, USA.

The Chamber Music Concert Art Program is one of HBSO’s efforts to improve quality, aiming for high-quality art. The programs all have the participation of many famous artists from Vietnam and other countries in the world, helping to enrich and diversify the art programs, creating more opportunities for HBSO artists to exchange, learn more experiences, and meet the diverse entertainment needs of the large audience in Ho Chi Minh City.

THUY BINH

LIBRA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/hoi-hoa-cham-ngo-noi-tam-post796276.html