HI THERE, CITY FOLKS!

An exhibition by Doan Xuan Tung and Nguyen Nghia Cuong

Opening: 17h00, Wednesday, 20/02/2019
Exhibition duration: 20/02/2019 - 12/03/2019 (Monday-Sunday; 9:00 – 12:00 13:00 -17:00)
Address: VICAS ART STUDIO, 32 Hao Nam Street, Hanoi
Media Partner: Hanoi Grapevine
Free Entry

Moving to the city or as commonly said as “countryman travel to the big city” has been an everlasting issue and taken place everywhere not only in Vietnam. Cities have been always attracting to countryside youngers because of the development opportunities, the convenient and flashy life. There is no one that has not had dreamed about the success, a high social position, glamour women,, modern houses, luxury cars, high-end restaurants and services. Yet the reality has not always as they expect to be because of all of the enjoyment and relationship that you expect to have depended totally on your current social and economic position.
On one hand, most of them when travelling to the big city for making ends meet, although have been trying hard, but because of their low social/economic positions (newspaper-sellers, hawkers, workers, poor office staff, poor painters,…), they can only afford products and services at low price and so so quality.... On the other hand, because they still keep their own countryside lifestyle when moving to cities, it is hard for them to adjust with the new environment and consequently, they feel lost and inferior to others.
In the other way, lost of people who live in cities for a long time, when they accumulate enough resources and also feel terrified by the hustle, pollution and inhumanity/anonymousness of the city life, they wish for a slower, fresher and more humanity of life.
These two dimensions (City and Countryside) will be featured in this exhibition by the resonance of two contemporary artists:
1. Doan Xuan Tung, is a young countryside man who has come to live in Hanoi for a long time. His paintings reflect the expectation as well as the not-so-romantic realities of people who are mainly poor and low-status labours. His works present images of their temporary and messy places (through the images of toilets, dirty washbasins), crowded buses, fatigue when taking on public buses, the common mentality of countryside people when living in big cities (timidity, inferiority,...) and their dreams about beautiful women in town as well.
2. Nguyen Nghia Cuong, a no more young artist, has spent many hard years in the city, now he returns his home village. His paintings still reflect his love for the city but not the regret of the glamorous life there, rather they confirm his choice of coming back countryside as his good choice. He sees romance in the country’s lifestyle with joyful and a rather sarcastic attitude toward city reality.
Two artists, two different artistic styles, will let viewers face questions about modern life in the big city. And each of us depends on our experience and our economic and social position, will have our own thought and decision. There is no common answer for everyone. Some would still be long and strive for a desirable life in the city and they will say: "Hello! I am coming to you", at the same time, some others will say: "Farewell, I leave you now!"