Tiếng Việt
Hồng Việt Dũng
The Artist
Born in 1962 in Hanoi, Dung is the youngest of the Gang of Five and as such is always held in a tender regard. Like the others, Dung, was evacuated to the countryside first at six years old and then again in 1972. He remembers those terrifying times, and yet like all darkness, this seems to recede into the deep place of sad memory. Quiet and introspective by nature, he is ever the silent observer. His family life was an artistic household with his father a playwright for stage productions and traditional Vietnamese musical dramas. Dung met many of his father’s cultured friends who were inspiration for the young man, including the esteemed artist Bui Xuan Phai, who painted many of his father’s sets.
Dung’s world is a quiet one, full of contemplation and serenity. His paintings reveal the nature of this gentle man, his deep awareness of life’s vicissitudes and the value of thoughtful introspection. Dung allows this silence and contemplation to enter into his canvases. Early works such as those exhibited in Gang of Five’s first exhibition in 1993 tended to be serene, muted landscapes. Cloaked in gray rain and mystery, soft muted colors and big blocks of form, they evoke a sense of simple tranquility despite the travails of life. As Jeffrey Hantover, the art critic and writer of the first publication on Vietnamese art, Uncorked Soul remarks:
“Dung’s streets are empty, the buildings dark monoliths, self-contained and mute as a fortress. They are not attempts to capture a picture postcard view of Hanoi’s disappearing urban landscape but are studies in form and relationship. So too, the riverscape he constantly returns to in various media and colors: it is a play of light and shade, of form and mood. He is less interested in having us see the real world than experience it emotionally.”
In addition to his solitary landscapes, Dung began to work with portraiture early in the decade. Using the same minimalist style, his portraits appear in soft muted colors. The facial detail is regularly obscured by delicate shading and an attention to light and shadow. The portraits often present a solitary figure captured in a singular moment. A strong presence is felt, drawing the observer in for a closer view.
Following Eastern philosophy, we empty our mind as we gaze at the tranquility and silence. Dung does not distinguish himself with his versatility. He stays on his quiet path. The color hues may change over the years but the essence of the reduction of details and simplicity remain. Object, landscape, and human are held together in suspended silence. The space transcends each individual aspect of the painting; a sense of unified form overwhelms that which might be mistaken as something singular. All become one.
Since Gang of Five’s final exhibition as a group at Galerie La Vong in Hong Kong, Dung has remained active. He has had solo exhibitions in Hanoi, Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, Dubai, the UK and most recently in 2017 in Singapore. Dung’s works are in the collections of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam, National Gallery Singapore, HRH The Duke of York, UK and numerous private collections worldwide.
1962 Born in Hanoi
1984 Graduated from the Vietnam Fine Arts University, Hanoi, Vietnam
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Another Place by Hong Viet Dung
2017
Ode to Art, Raffles City, Singapore
Peaceful Moment
2011
Apricot Gallery, London, UK
A Tranquil Path
2007
Red River Gallery, Dubai, UAE
New Works, Rotunda
Solo exhibition
2002
Exchange Square, Hong Kong
Latin American Art Museum, Miami, Florida, USA
Realm of Enchantment
1998
Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong and Singapore
Corner of Tranquility
1996
Red River Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam
Solo exhibition
1995
Substation Gallery, Singapore
Solo exhibition
1994
Dong Son Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Chancing Modern
2018
The Factory Contemporary Arts Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Gang of Five
2017
Vietnam Film Studio, Hanoi, Vietnam
Spiritual Spaces
Group exhibition Young Artists
2008
Bangkok, Thailand
USSR
Impression & Expressions, Exhibition of Vietnamese Contemporary Paintings
2005
Thailand
A Vision of Vietnam
2004
Kings Road Gallery, London, UK
Europe Art Geneva
2000
International Art Fair, Geneva, Switzerland
Where the Rivers Meet, Exhibition at the Vietnamese Cultural Festival
2000
Luxembourg and continued at “Libre de Bruxelles” University, Brussels, Belgium
Asiatique
2000
Kings Road Gallery, UK
Reflection of Vietnam, collaboration with Red River Gallery and Art Asia
Exhibition at Europe Art 2000
1999
Woolloomooloo Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Barcelona, Spain
3 contemporary Vietnamese artists
Vietnam’s 20th Century: Plastic and Visual Arts from 1925 to Our Time
1998
Cork Street, London, UK
Brussels, Belgium
Vietnamese Young Artists
Winding River – The Journey of Contemporary Art in Vietnam
Group exhibition
ASEAN Masterworks, Exhibition at Palace of the Golden Horses
Color Country
Gang of Five
1997
Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris, France
Meridian International Centre, Washington D.C, USA.
Europe Art, Geneva, Switzerland
Mines Resort, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Gallery 19, Hanoi, Vietnam
London, UK
Gang of Five
Countryside Poetry
Group exhibition
1996
Galerie La Vong, Hong Kong
Cicada Gallery, Singapore
Fujita Vente Art Center, Japan
Weather Report Exhibition. An art collaboration of Asian and Netherlands artists
1995
The Netherlands, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong
Collaborations, 6 Day workshop in Dai Lai with Hong Viet Dung, Ha Tri Hieu, Dang Xuan Hoa, Tran Luong, Pham Quang Vinh, Viet Hai, Hans Van Bentem, Rienke Enghardt
1995
Mai Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam
Gang of Five
1994
Turtle Key Arts Centre, London, UK
Gang of Five
1993
16 Ngo Quyen, Hanoi, Vietnam
Group Exhibition of five artists (Hong Viet Dung, Dang Xuan Hoa, Ha Tri Hieu, Tran Luong, Pham Quang Vinh)
1991
Gallery Thanh Nien, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Portrait, group of five artists (Hong Viet Dung, Dang Xuan Hoa, Ha Tri Hieu, Tran Luong, Pham Quang Vinh), exhibition commemorating the centenary of Van Gogh
1990
Gallery No.7 Hang Khay, Hanoi, Vietnam
Exhibition of Artistic Portraits with Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Sang, Duong Bich Lien, Hoang Lap Ngon, Van Cao, Tran Dung Luong, Trong Kiem, Viet Hai, Van Tho, Kim Thai, Hoang Dinh Tai, Nguyen Quan, Dang Xuan Hoa, Hoang Hong Cam, Ha Tri Hieu, Pham Quang Vinh, Tran Luong, Viet Dung, Tran Tuan
12/1990
Gallery No.7 Hang Khay, Hanoi, Vietnam
PUBLICATIONS
Realm of Enchantment
1998
Plum Blossoms Gallery Hong Kong, Singapore
Color Country
1997
Gallery 19, Hanoi, Vietnam
COLLECTIONS
Vietnam Fine Art Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam
National Gallery Singapore
HRH The Duke of York
