Artist's Apocalypse Now
"I have ever longed for being always a travelling artist to paint whatever I like along my way."
On Saturday, the 11th of August, a solo exhibition by Vietnamese artist Phan Ngoc Minh opened at the Gregory Gallery, Castlegregory.
Phan Ngoc Minh was born in 1954. He grew up in a village 40km south of Danang, the third largest city in Vietnam after Saigon and Hanoi, and one of the major American beachheads and logistic centres in Vietnam in its war against the Communist North.
As the Vietcong sought to dislodge the Americans and their Southern allies from the pivotal port city of Danang, some of the heaviest fighting of the war took place on a continuous basis in the towns and hamlets surrounding the city.
This was the dangerous unsettled environment under which Ngoc Minh grew up. It proved crucial to his development as an artist. As a result of this environment, rather than choosing to represent on canvas the reality of everyday life in Modern Vietnam, Ngoc Minh’s art depicts the 10th Century monuments of the Cham people, who preceded and were, eventually, destroyed by the Viet tribe from the North of the country.
His paintings also centre on the old Imperial capital of Hue; the old 16th Century parts of Hanoi, and the ancient town of Hoi An. Ngoc Minh seeks sanctuary in his country's past.
Therefore it should come as no surprise that when Minh arrived in Castlegregory and began sketching and painting local scenes for the exhibition (11th August to end of August), the subject matter was invariably the remains of old whitewashed houses, with the modern aspects of the village pointedly ignored.
Minh drew from a very early age. Sometimes in the sand. He created pictures with banana leaves. Clinging to the beautiful inspiration of his superior sensibility he survived and, indeed, triumphed over the madness and ugliness of the war torn world around him.
Minh is much taken with Ireland. He refers to it as "the land of music, mountain and monuments." Having participated in many group exhibitions in Vietnam and abroad this is his sixth solo exhibition. Previously he has exhibited as a solo artist in three different galleries in Paris, France.
Dinh Cuong, artist painter from Virginia USA has commented on Minh's work, "With the help of mixed media and brown hue, and of his own signs as secret words, a spiritual life, rhythms of Nature can be seen. Under the glittering layer of oiled colours appear the signs of hieroglyph and the totems to be recommended. I have found in his works the human beings' destiny. Both happiness and unhappiness do exist. Minh once said there was really no difference between them. In addition, the atmosphere at the temples, the echo from the rocks, and a Champa lullaby can be felt."
For more information please contact the Director of the Gregory Gallery, Brian Stockwell, on 066 713 9009 or via email on bskwell@hotmail.com
On Saturday, the 11th of August, a solo exhibition by Vietnamese artist Phan Ngoc Minh opened at the Gregory Gallery, Castlegregory.
Phan Ngoc Minh was born in 1954. He grew up in a village 40km south of Danang, the third largest city in Vietnam after Saigon and Hanoi, and one of the major American beachheads and logistic centres in Vietnam in its war against the Communist North.
As the Vietcong sought to dislodge the Americans and their Southern allies from the pivotal port city of Danang, some of the heaviest fighting of the war took place on a continuous basis in the towns and hamlets surrounding the city.
This was the dangerous unsettled environment under which Ngoc Minh grew up. It proved crucial to his development as an artist. As a result of this environment, rather than choosing to represent on canvas the reality of everyday life in Modern Vietnam, Ngoc Minh’s art depicts the 10th Century monuments of the Cham people, who preceded and were, eventually, destroyed by the Viet tribe from the North of the country.
His paintings also centre on the old Imperial capital of Hue; the old 16th Century parts of Hanoi, and the ancient town of Hoi An. Ngoc Minh seeks sanctuary in his country's past.
Therefore it should come as no surprise that when Minh arrived in Castlegregory and began sketching and painting local scenes for the exhibition (11th August to end of August), the subject matter was invariably the remains of old whitewashed houses, with the modern aspects of the village pointedly ignored.
Minh drew from a very early age. Sometimes in the sand. He created pictures with banana leaves. Clinging to the beautiful inspiration of his superior sensibility he survived and, indeed, triumphed over the madness and ugliness of the war torn world around him.
Minh is much taken with Ireland. He refers to it as "the land of music, mountain and monuments." Having participated in many group exhibitions in Vietnam and abroad this is his sixth solo exhibition. Previously he has exhibited as a solo artist in three different galleries in Paris, France.
Dinh Cuong, artist painter from Virginia USA has commented on Minh's work, "With the help of mixed media and brown hue, and of his own signs as secret words, a spiritual life, rhythms of Nature can be seen. Under the glittering layer of oiled colours appear the signs of hieroglyph and the totems to be recommended. I have found in his works the human beings' destiny. Both happiness and unhappiness do exist. Minh once said there was really no difference between them. In addition, the atmosphere at the temples, the echo from the rocks, and a Champa lullaby can be felt."
For more information please contact the Director of the Gregory Gallery, Brian Stockwell, on 066 713 9009 or via email on bskwell@hotmail.com
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home