Strange paintings 'drawn' in copper and steel by Dinh Phong

Đinh Phong - Ảnh 1. — Visitors to Dinh Phong's exhibition - Photo: Contributor

14 large-sized paintings (some over ^10m2 ) made of this unique material are being displayed along with 17 large and small metal statues (bronze, stainless steel) at Art Space, Vietnam University of Fine Arts (42 Yet Kieu, Hanoi ), in the Dinh Phong Painting and Sculpture exhibition .

Dinh Phong: Creativity from crisis

Dinh Phong's exhibition surprised the public and professionals because of the visual effect from the novelty of the material. People saw that Dinh Phong had liberated painting from the limits of the flat surface, to step into an art form that intersects painting and sculpture.

Born and raised in Hanoi, he moved to Saigon early to start a business, was quite successful in business, but in the past 5 years, Dinh Phong has started to passionately pick up a pen to draw.

Without attending any school, Dinh Phong trained himself, through a journey of watching, reading, exchanging, as well as always admiring many previous artists. Yet in just 5 years, he has held 4 solo and group exhibitions.

In the three previous exhibitions, Dinh Phong only used oil or acrylic paint. But working with the same material and motif over and over again, he no longer felt interested, even in crisis and creative deadlock.

About a year ago, Dinh Phong experimented with using copper, iron, and steel mesh in his paintings and unexpectedly it brought a flood of creative inspiration back to the artist.

Đinh Phong - Ảnh 2. — An exhibition where sculptures and paintings are all made of metal - Photo: T.DIEU

Thanh Chuong also 'never dared to break out so strongly'

Painter Thanh Chuong said he viewed the exhibition very carefully and was extremely interested. There were works that moved him.

In particular, the novelty in the creative materials made artist Thanh Chuong touch the paintings and observe them carefully. When he saw that they were steel plates, copper plates, and steel mesh, Mr. Chuong said that they opened up many thoughts about materials for him. He admitted that he was fond of change but "never dared to make such a strong breakthrough."

Researcher Vu Huy Thong - curator of the exhibition - said the world has had many self-taught artists who became great names, but Dinh Phong's case brought him a special surprise. Because Dinh Phong's creations almost do not follow any familiar logic of painting and sculpture.

Dinh Phong, by instinct and intuition, stepped straight out of conventions to find his own language.