An amazing journey between the pieces of life

"In Here, Out There and Pieces" is a solo exhibition by artist Ngo Hung Cuong. This is his third solo exhibition, held exactly 17 years after his first exhibition and 12 years after his second. I missed the second one, so after spending quite a bit of time walking around the gallery (which only takes about 3 minutes to walk around the walls at a turtle's pace), I feel the need to say something about what I've gleaned here.

Honestly, when I looked around from the gallery door, my impression was not impressive at all. Although all the works in the exhibition were large-sized paintings, with my eyesight, at that distance I could not recognize any details, shapes or colors. However, my impression immediately reversed when I stood in front of the first painting (which I chose only because no one was bothering it) at the appropriate distance. In the first few seconds, I felt dizzy, dizzy and suddenly surrounded by a noisy and bustling crowd. It took me a while to regain my composure before I could gradually see the details in the painting called "Year of the Monkey".

The painting is made up of 365 wooden pieces about the size of a three-card deck, representing 365 days of the year. Each piece of wood has a sketched monkey drawing (it can't be sketched any more), each monkey has different emotions, activities, and body states, symbolizing the nuances of life, including "joy, anger, love, and hate" that people have to experience every day of the year. To really know what I'm looking at, I can only look closely at each stroke on each piece of wood (even scrutinizing to see if there are any identical wooden pieces) and then look at them as a whole after they are arranged into a painting. And just like that, I fell into the world of monkeys, and it took a long time to get out.

After "Year of the Monkey" and after many times moving from one painting to another, I suddenly realized the way to look at the works displayed in this exhibition: that is to be meticulous, as the way the artist created them. Because each painting here is not just a single story, they are all made up of many, many different pieces, things/stories/objects/events that are very familiar, easy to see, easy to encounter in daily life placed together. That also explains the name "In Here, Out There and Pieces" and I think that is the most realistic and convincing way to describe the strange spatial order established in this room.

Look, the simple, naive, innocent drawings remind us of prehistoric caves. The familiar zodiac animals (monkey, mouse, cat...), the fruit tray remind us of folk art and the joy of welcoming the new year. The "party" reminds us of a lifestyle that respects a warm, family meal. The Buddha sitting on a lotus pedestal or Mr. Good, Mr. Evil, yellow chrysanthemums... represent beliefs and worship. The faces of people with all kinds of expressions are no different from the life around us with fleeting (or profound) encounters. And there are many, many other stories about life that you can travel in with all the flavors: strong/light - hot/cold - sweet/salty, sometimes a warm family moment, sometimes filled with the smoke of human life...

All these pieces create a gallery with works in paintings, stories in stories, following each other as if counting a rosary. They exist right here, in here and out there, right in the surrounding life. They create a connection between the past and the present, between legend and reality; they show the cultural exchange between Vietnam and other countries (for example, the paintings with religious elements remind me of Indian Thangka paintings), and at the same time inspire the viewer to live a good life, to be creative.

The use of materials in the exhibited works also emphasizes the "pieces". Ngo Hung Cuong has used many materials for the works exhibited this time: wood, baked clay, Do paper, canvas, gold, silver, oil paint, acrylic, leather, papier-mâché... This is like the artist is conducting an experiment, at the same time creating a strange adventure for the viewer. Besides, I also feel in Cuong the desire for a balanced life and harmony with nature through the pure natural materials used.

Furthermore, I believe that each person's experiences and memories are unique, no two are alike. Therefore, the stories they "read" when watching "In Here, Out There and The Pieces" are certainly not the same. Only by seeing with your own eyes, slowly smelling the scent of wood, paper, color, soil... and listening to the awakened memories, realizing the inspiration that is evoked, can you know what your own journey is like. And the last thing I want to say is that this is a good exhibition to see.

The exhibition "In Here, Out There and Puzzle Pieces" is open until July 8, 2020 at Hanoi Studio Gallery - 15 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

KinCoi