Artist Nguyen Trung Hieu next to his artwork at the exhibition 'Not Staying' - Photo: H.VY
Following his stunning debut solo exhibition at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in 2025, artist Nguyen Trung Hieu continues to meet audiences in the South with "Not Staying," on display until January 25th at Huyen Art House (8 Dang Tat Street, Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City).
This is a continuation of "Appearance, Disappearance, Space," a thought journal sharing what Hieu has been doing for the past 5 years with a recurring theme: space.
When the appearance becomes uncertain
For over five years, Nguyễn Trung Hiếu has been drawing, researching, drawing again, and immersing himself in his own world , revolving around a consistent line of thought: the appearance, disappearance, light, movement, and space of the human form.
In this exhibition, that line of thought continues to be developed with about 10 new color paintings alongside the familiar series of black and white paintings. The color series was painted later, but it follows the same pattern of appearance and disappearance.
Hieu selected his favorite photos to showcase as a way of engaging in dialogue with his audience in the South, allowing them to see and hear the diverse perspectives that he cherishes.
Hieu loves light. But in his paintings, the light doesn't illuminate; instead, it places the forms in a precarious state: they are barely visible before they begin to fade. For him, that moment always creates a sense of excitement, as if he's about to witness an unpredictable transformation, which is something he enjoys during the creative process.
Besides light, Hieu enjoys observing the movement of the body. Each movement causes the previous state to disappear. An image that has just appeared becomes a thing of the past. States slide past each other, overlapping, leaving the viewer only able to grasp the moment in between, where appearance and disappearance occur simultaneously.
Color paintings by Nguyen Trung Hieu
Space and lingering effects
Nguyen Trung Hieu revealed that he enjoys the moment after hanging the paintings and adjusting the lights, sitting alone for a long time in the art gallery, feeling the artwork begin to exist independently in the viewer's space.
If appearance and disappearance are ephemeral states, then space is the element that "exists forever as an inseparable part of appearance and disappearance."
For Nguyen Trung Hieu, human beings are inherently a form of space where matter blends with the space of consciousness. They appear in this space, transform it, and then depart, but they do not disappear absolutely; instead, they appear in another space.
Therefore, Hieu wanted to create "a space where people seem to be gradually leaving their own space. A transitional state between appearing or disappearing." A form of unreal reality, a magical reality, anchored longer in the viewer, because there are moments that can only be felt, not possessed.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trien-lam-cua-nguyen-trung-hieu-20260123100730312.htm
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