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An exhibition that stimulates the visual senses and imagination, harmoniously blended with music and painting, is "Alone in the Vast Expanse" by artist Bui Thanh Tam in collaboration with musician Do Bao. One tells stories through canvas, the other paints memories with musical notes. In Do Bao's musical space, artist Bui Thanh Tam finds hope for a new day, along with a yearning to bring evocative symbolic images to the canvas.
The exhibition "Alone in the Vast Expanse" by artist Bui Thanh Tam features 11 special works inspired by the 30-year musical journey of composer Do Bao.
"Alone in the Vast Universe" by artist Bui Thanh Tam showcases 11 works inspired by the 30-year musical journey of composer Do Bao. In the exhibition, Bui Thanh Tam uses traditional art to offer reflections, dialogues, and reflections on the universe and the origin of life. The exhibition also evokes thoughts of liberation from ambition, the desire for life, and the grand ideals within the mind, harmonizing with the yin and yang and the five elements, aiming for a state of serene freedom like the stars in the vast universe.
Musician Do Bao (left) and painter Bui Thanh Tam (right)
Sharing about the process of creating the works for the exhibition "Alone in the Vast Expanse," artist Bui Thanh Tam said: "I often listen to Do Bao's music while creating, and I've even imagined the melody of Do Bao's lyrics as expressed on canvas. But when I officially started working on the works for the 'Alone in the Vast Expanse' collection, I realized everything was far different from my initial expectations. The language of music and painting are two very different states. How can I capture Bui Thanh Tam's spirit while still allowing viewers to feel the melody of Do Bao's music when standing in front of the artwork? That was a very challenging task."
Art is about feeling, and since it's about feeling, it will inevitably leave each person with their own unique emotions.
The work was featured in the live concert "Alone in the Vast World".
When the music plays, it conjures up images of musicians floating in vast space. In Do Bao's timeless songs like "Rainbow in the Rainy Night," "Song of June," "The Fisherman," "The Anchor Dropper," etc., there are countless familiar and relatable images, yet they possess an invisible allure that transports me to another dimension, both real and unreal. In Do Bao's music, I find questions about freedom, love, happiness, light, and hope. This only fuels my curiosity to explore that vast world and bring it to a higher plane."
Painting and music, though different in their expressive languages, share a true wonder: they transport us on a journey back in time to cherished memories, filling us with emotion. Art is about feeling, and feeling inevitably leaves each person with their own unique range of emotions.
The message in Bui Thanh Tam's works is often conveyed through the actions and attitudes of his human-like characters, whose clothing style reflects East Asian influences.
For composer Do Bao, "Alone in the Vastness" evokes beautiful reflections and inspiration about humanity amidst the vastness of life and emotions. Whether writing about the joys and sorrows of love, or the lonely or vibrant rhythm of life, Do Bao's music, with hundreds of songs to date, consistently aligns with this perspective on human existence.
“Over the past 30 years, music has taught me so much. Music has taught me about love, sadness, loneliness, aspirations, growth, and the myriad beauty of life. For me, all of these things belong to an infinite source of love that never diminishes in the human world. Compared to the vastness of life, we are so small and fragile. However, the miraculous thing is that each of us possesses a unique beauty, so one-of-a-kind that we cannot be compared to anything else,” said composer Do Bao.
Between the two artists, there exists a profound resonance regarding life and human existence. The songs composed by musician Do Bao raise questions and reflect on reality about people and life, possessing deep philosophical depth, and therefore are very close to the creative perspective of painter Bui Thanh Tam.
Painting and music, though different in their expressive languages, share a true wonder: they take us on a journey back in time to memories, filling us with overflowing emotions.
Artist Bui Thanh Tam (born 1979, Hanoi) was born and raised in Thai Binh province and graduated with a major in oil painting from the Vietnam Fine Arts University. Tam's practice focuses on oil painting on canvas, reflecting political and social issues in Vietnam and around the world.
The message in Bui Thanh Tam's works is often conveyed through the actions and attitudes of his human-like characters, dressed in an East Asian style. He uses vanity to expose himself, deliberately overwhelming the viewer with conflicts and visual gaudiness. Bui Thanh Tam's works are widely exhibited in private museums in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, and other European countries, and appear in collections in Asia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, France, the United States, Canada, and other countries.
The exhibition "Vast Solitude" by artist Bui Thanh Tam is open from November 17th to November 30th, 2023 at Gate Gate Gallery, 55 Van Mieu Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi.
Tourists come to admire the scenery.
