In the exhibition titled “Adrift”, young artist Truong The Linh will be exhibiting contemporary, figurative paintings. His paintings perhaps focus largely on paint as a medium, and how it manifests on the surface, as well as paintings that focus on the subject matter of the painting. In his new collection, Linh continues to explore the sensory aspects of paint, skin and imagery. His style is certainly dramatic and unique, and through his methods, he creates images that are metaphorical.
Human Statue
The Days of Destruction
A key element in Linh’s paintings is light and shadow, which evokes stark contrasts. The monochrome, mostly black backgrounds highlight foreground figures in a blinding beam of light. The dramatic visual structure exposes the protagonists, helpless before the viewer’s gaze. These protagonists are young men whose figures seem to emerge from the background without any outlines. Linh employs the effect of blurring; this effect confuses, irritates, unsettles and confronts the viewer with perceived realities.
The paintings alternate between the realism of a photograph and the use of color in abstract painting. Reds and oranges set off accents of color in the shadows, and the highlighted strokes and textures stir up emotions. People become moving clouds, blending together, floating freely about their feelings. The blurriness of the paintings expresses the endurance of visible fear in the face of all too obvious events, the ambiguity of the paintings allows the viewer to freely interpret.
Night storm
Quynh
Linh’s characters become himself in the process of painting. They express what Linh feels. It can be loneliness, confusion, and any inner state that only comes to light in private moments. In his paintings of young men, they become his Doppelgangers. His characters seem hopeless, trapped in darkness. But especially when using black, the artist also expresses light. Especially when there is no light, things are still clear. The artist seeks the light absorbed through black, while white only reflects it.
With her first solo exhibition at Craig Thomas Gallery, Linh reflects on the spiritual as well as the profound art that touches on the existential situation of our lives. Linh’s paintings take us to places we don’t want to go; They project our own precariousness and, as is often the case, it is the view from the edge that reveals who we are.
