'Zen in Life' by Tram Kim Hoa after 15 years abroad

After 15 years abroad, artist Tram Kim Hoa brings the 3-in-1 combination of Zen, calligraphy, and painting back to Vietnam through the exhibition Zen in Life.

On the afternoon of November 28 at Chillala - House of Art (75 Xuan Thuy, An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), artist Tram Kim Hoa will have an interesting meeting with art lovers through the exhibition Zen in Life curated by journalist - art critic Ly Doi.

Since moving to Melbourne (Australia), Tram Kim Hoa has not forgotten his childhood love, so he continues to pursue his artistic career and decided to return to his homeland.

In the art world , Zen painting and Zen calligraphy are very unique. PHOTO: LY DOI

The painting "No Possession" . PHOTO: LY DOI

Artwork Who am I? . PHOTO: LY DOI

Sharing her feelings after 15 years of returning to Vietnam for a solo exhibition, artist Tram Kim Hoa confided: "Time flies, it's been 15 years since I last returned to the old place, it's emotional. Meeting friends and artists, I feel both happy and sad, sad because some of them have left early, leaving the fun behind, I feel so emotional, life is so impermanent. On the other hand, I'm happy to see the exhibition rooms are more spacious, better quality, not inferior to foreign ones. The same goes for the artworks, better quality and full of promise for the future."

He also revealed: "In 2017, after the exhibition in Paris (France), I planned to return to Vietnam, but for personal reasons, I had to temporarily suspend the plan, then the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, and only now has this plan been implemented."

Artist Tram Kim Hoa likes to draw "3 in 1": meditation, calligraphy, painting. PHOTO: LY DOI

A unique style of Zen painting in Tram Kim Hoa's paintings

Looking at his paintings, the audience will realize that there is no scenery, no dense composition, no realism, and no exaggerated symbolism. Instead, there are only ink strokes - sometimes a half-circle, a curved strip like a mountain roof, a light water streak like breath. The rest is all white. But it is in that white space that the viewer's eyes do not fall into nothingness, but begin to open up to a new boundless space, the quiet space of the mind.

The combination of Zen, calligraphy, painting and space has created a unique Zen painting style for Tram Kim Hoa's paintings, mainly expressing inner thoughts and life experiences through the perspective of Zen. In calligraphy, he does not write in the traditional style but often chooses a word or a sentence with Zen meaning, or sentences summarized through life experiences.

In calligraphy, he does not write in the traditional style but often chooses a word or a sentence with a meditative meaning, or sentences summarized from life experiences.

PHOTO: LY DOI

Artist Tram Kim Hoa said that he often chooses the cursive writing style because the lines and structure of cursive writing are very relaxed and free, suitable for creative requirements. First, he chooses a word or a sentence written in cursive, observes the shape and meaning of the word, then he visualizes, transforms the lines and arranges the layout to symbolize that writing, so that the writing sublimates into a work of art, just like the ancients used to say "in calligraphy there is painting".

Tram Kim Hoa's works have long chosen inaction and stillness...

Although the ink painting style of Cho Lon - Saigon in general has shaped many names, Tram Kim Hoa's painting style is still a separate path. Over the past 15 years, the ink painting style of Cho Lon - Saigon has changed more and more, Vietnamese painting has changed more and more, where the general sound is more agitated, the general image is more colorful. Finding a resting place, a quiet moment in that fine art ecosystem like painter Tram Kim Hoa, seems not simple, because there are many times when there is bustle, joy, excitement and noise..., it is very difficult to be peaceful.

After a century, Vietnamese modern art seems to be returning to a new spring, full of positive energy, so dynamic and hasty... But Tram Kim Hoa is almost outside of this world, not because of the Zen painting genre he chose, but because of the spirit of inaction, stillness, and emptiness that his works have long wanted to aim for," curator Ly Doi.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thien-trong-cuoc-song-cua-tram-kim-hoa-sau-15-nam-xa-xu-185251127135245355.htm