The exhibition shows artworks in different styles such as abstract, impressionism and realism. VNS Photo Thu Hương

HÀ NỘI  Contemporary painter Trần Lâm Bình has opened his seventh solo exhibition entitled Lững Lờ (Leisureliness) displaying works in varied genres using different materials.

The 38 artworks cover realism, impressionism and abstraction painted with different materials such as oils, acrylics and ceramics. They have been created by the artists in the past two years.

In the portrait segment, the artist paints himself, his son and close friends such as painter Nguyễn Thị Kim Đức, art researcher Ngô Kim Khôi, sculptor Phạm Văn Hạng, and art journalist Nguyễn Trọng Chức.

In addition, the exhibition also introduced Bình's collections of former Donald Trump’s portraits that have been exhibited abroad.

The abstract paintings are highlighted by the strong colours of red, yellow, black and blue interwoven without rules, drawn by the artist at random, creating different images depending on visitors' eyes and imagination. It can be the body of a young girl, two people having a conversation or flowing water.

The exhibition has many large-scale works such as Bình Yên Trên Cánh Đồng (Peace in the Field), 2 metres by 3 metres in size.

Bình said that the exhibition Leisureliness express his own thoughts at the age of 40, after many years of making art. It can be his inner world, the sublimation in painting or the perception of people and nature around. Many paintings took several months to complete.

The seventh solo exhibition follows the river of emotions, the river of colours, light and darkness, like drops of white, black, blue, red mixed together. Bình called his art life, gain and loss.

“Fine art is the harmony of mind and body," said Bình. 

"In 40 years of life, I found out that everything I see or hear, a long hair, a smile, a sound of a motorbike getting lost in the night contains colours and need to be drawn. And, I do.

"Each exhibition is like a stop for me to think, energise and continue to create. Life is colourful, vast and mysterious. In the spacious sea, I can reach the shore thanks to the sympathy from visitors." 

Art researcher Ngô Kim Khôi said the visual language in Bình's paintings is brilliant. The pristine colours crept, intertwined to create effects, attracting viewers. That made him overwhelmed when standing in front of large-format paintings at the exhibition.

"I feel like the artist's emotions are clearly expressed through brush strokes and colours. The space in his paintings is large, radiant, full of energy," said Khôi.

Bình began pursuing painting at the Huế University of Fine Arts, then went to the Hà Nội University of Fine Arts.

He once attracted attention with a solo exhibition called Close at the French cultural house L’Espace in Hà Nội in 2010, then the solo exhibition Blinking in HCM City showing portraits of President Trump and other US presidents.

In 2019, Bình was the only Vietnamese artist to participate in the Florence Biennale exhibition in Italy with more than 700 international artists on the 500th birth anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci.

The exhibition will run until November 15 at V-Art Space, Ciputra Club, Nam Từ Liêm District, Hà Nội. VNS