The exhibition "Drifting" by Truong The Linh

In the exhibition titled "Drifting," young artist Truong The Linh will showcase symbolic contemporary paintings. His work likely focuses largely on the medium of paint as a means of communication, the way paint is applied to surfaces, and the paintings' emphasis on the subject matter. In his new collection, Linh continues to explore the sensory influence of paint, skin, and imagery. His style is undeniably profound and unique, and through his methods, he creates metaphorical images.

A key element in Linh's paintings is light and shadow, which evoke striking contrasts. The monochrome style, mostly on a black background, highlights the foreground figures in dazzling bursts of light. The striking composition exposes the main characters' helplessness before the viewer's gaze. These main characters are young men whose figures seem to emerge from the background without any discernible lines. Linh employs the blurring effect; this effect confuses, frustrates, and unnerves the viewer, confronting the perceived realities of the subject.

The paintings shift between the realism of a photograph and the use of color in abstract art. Red or orange hues are used to create color accents in the shadows, and the brushstrokes and textures are highlighted, disrupting the emotions. People become moving clouds, blending together, floating freely in their thoughts. The ambiguity of the paintings expresses the endurance of fear in the face of all that is already clear; the vagueness allows the viewer to freely interpret the work.

Linh's characters become himself in the process of painting. These characters express what Linh feels. It could be loneliness, awkwardness, and all inner states only brought to light in private moments. In his paintings of young people, they become his Doppelgänger (Ghost). His characters seem hopeless, trapped in the darkness. But especially when using black, the artist also expresses light. Particularly in the absence of light, things remain clear. The artist seeks light absorbed through black, while white merely reflects itself.

With her first solo exhibition at Craig Thomas Gallery, Linh reflects on spiritual life as well as profound art, touching upon the existential state of our existence. Linh's paintings lead us to places we don't want to be; the paintings foreshadow our own precariousness and, as often happens, it is a perspective from the boundary that reveals who we are.

Thu Trang