Artist uses his ‘Hands' to question status quo

Handyman: Heavy Ocean, a140x160cm oil on canvas, is on display at Hands, a solo exhibition by Pham Huy Thong being held in HCM City.

HCM CITY (VNS)— Hands, a solo exhibition by Pham Huy Thong, a Ha Noi-based visual artist whose works have been described as political and social commentary, will open tomorrow at the Craig Thomas Gallery in HCM City.

Thong was born in 1981 to journalist parents who often hosted gatherings that discussed social and political issues of the day, influencing his decision to engage with social and political issues in his art.

In the latest exhibition, with the aim of making his subjects universal, anonymous, beings without individuality or nationality, Thong replaces their faces with hands.

Thong's Hands have the capacity to express a range of emotions – anger, power, fear, happiness – and meaning through the symbols and gestures.

The Hands allow Thong to take on issues of globalisation, Westernisation, consumerism, development aid, and the current dispute between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours over island territories in the East Sea.

"Thong's paintings are rife with symbolism and his multi-layered messages are not immediately discernible. Much is left to the engaged viewer to analyse and understand for himself. Thong is commenting on events and informing while also challenging the viewer to question the status quo," says a gallery press release.

Thong has exhibited extensively at home and abroad. His works have been collected by art collectors like the Witness Collection of Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese Art and the Rimbun Dahan Collection in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The exhibition will remain open until November 13.

The Craig Thomas Gallery is located at 27 Tran Nhat Duat Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, HCM City — VNS