Exhibition “The Far East” by mixed-media wood-burn artist Ngo Van Sac
THE FAR EAST
Solo exhibition by mixed-media wood-burn artist Ngo Van Sac - will be on view from 10 / 01 to 20 / 01 / 2025 at Thang Long Art Gallery - 41 Hang Gai, Hanoi.
Ngô Văn Sắc is a notable artist who is increasingly recognized in Việt Nam and internationally for his unique take on wood-burning art using blowtorches, combined with other media and materials, creating a very contemporary and inclusive artistic viewpoint. In his career, he has won important awards such as the Silver Prize for the 43rd UOB Painting of the Year in 2024 in Việt Nam with the artwork “Encroachment”, and the First Prize of Dogma Prize 2012, etc.
Thăng Long Art Gallery is honoured to welcome all art lovers and the public to the solo exhibition entitled The Far East of Ngô Văn Sắc. We hope that the exhibition and the publication in your hands of Ngô Văn Sắc’s newest works will help usher in the year 2025 in the most enjoyable and satisfying manner, full of dreams and aspirations for the future.
Exhibition registration: https://forms.gle/uzGfWjVRhKkg1cv57
Art Tour registration to hear directly from artist Ngo Van Sac speaking about his artistic process: https://forms.gle/Rb7EMeBfec2itD2f8
For the first time, there will be an Online Viewing Room via our partner Artsy, launching on the same opening date as the physical exhibition on 10th Jan: Link to Online Viewing Room (with list of works & price range)
“I have always been inspired by the East, with its exotic charm clothed in an air of mysterious abstractionism... the most significant of which is perhaps the cultural heritage that we leave behind, traces of ancient architectures, vestiges of traditions and customs, etc. They might sometimes seem to be relics of a bygone era, almost too faded with time, but it is this very characteristic that makes them all the more appealing to an artist.”
Artist Ngo Van Sac shares his thoughts: “I have always been inspired by the East, with its exotic charm clothed in an air of mysterious abstractionism. It is where nature, from ancient times, has always been incorporated into architectural and artistic works. And the most common material of nature, of course, is wood, which is also my medium of choice when practicing art. Fire, when applied on wood grains, creates visual effects reminiscent of ripples on a quiet lake, enabling the soul to listen to, observe, and feel the sound of silence and the imagery that it conjures up.
It is my belief that in the creative process, randomness plays an important role in creating and maintaining the joy for the artist and the freshness in his outlook. For other artists, randomness might come from a swipe of a palette knife, or some dripped paint, or the hand rubbing process of a lacquer finish. For me, each wood grain is a promise of a story by nature. Ever changing. Ever unpredictable. Never the same. It is always a delightful experience, therefore, to bring together these different pieces of nature to tell the human stories, the most significant of which is perhaps the cultural heritage that we leave behind, traces of ancient architectures, vestiges of traditions and customs, etc. They might sometimes seem to be relics of a bygone era, almost too faded with time, but it is this very characteristic that makes them all the more appealing to an artist.”
Art critic and researcher Bui Nhu Huong observed: “One can see in many of Ngô Văn Sắc’s works how these clouds of burnt wood grains add a surreal dimension to the depicted realities, at times changing the created forms and shapes in all twisting and turning manners, creating a permeating poetic and almost dreamlike feel.… At times, the burnt wood grains are used to convey the passage of time, like a cloud of nostalgia or the fog of oblivion, blurring the line between the human fate and nature and the past and the present, leaving us with unanswered questions. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?… Some portraits depict much more than the human face; they bear witness to culture and history, incorporating details and motifs from traditional scripts and costumes and ancient architecture and landscapes that have been immortalized in the Việt Namese soul, calling to us like echoes of our origin and from the past. The artworks, therefore, become so much more than just something pretty to look at; they carry within them the depth of meaning and associated symbolism.”
Ms Bui Nhu Huong added: “If these portraits of individuals or groups represent the artist’s outlook on life, his series of self-portraits are more inward-looking, giving viewers glimpses into the depth and complexity of his inner being… Ngô Văn Sắc portrays himself in different mental and spiritual states, using complicated psychological palettes, at times youthful and full of life and confidence,… at others tortured and tormented, with even suggestions of malaise or obsessions of a mental or sexual nature. There were also nude paintings revealing his nakedness in its most basic form, unadorned and utterly lonely. His nude paintings also include those depicting beautiful women with soft features all curled up like an egg and hidden among trees and plants of some tropical paradise, a metaphor of the Asian Eve in her quiet charm.”