The Artist

1965 Quang Tri Vietnam

Growing up during the Vietnam War, Nguyen Thai Tuan witnessed many atrocities as a child. His home town, Quang Tri, was near the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and was an American base in an area devastated by some of the heaviest fighting of the conflict. Memories of the war permeate his work. His paintings have a feeling of brooding unease. They feature bodies without limbs and heads, and people who often look as if they are being tortured or detained.

Even though the artist is widely respected in Vietnam, he has had his exhibitions censored and, like many artists in his country, he navigates a delicate balance between an independent art practice and challenging the status quo.

Tuan has exhibited in Vietnam but is more widely known outside of the country, exhibiting in notable venues such as 10 Chancery Lane, Hong Kong, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy, Carre d’ Art Museum, Nimes, France, the Seventh Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia and others.