Artist Nguyễn Ngọc Đan with her work. – Photo courtesy of the artist

HCM CITY – An art exhibition themed "Going Against the Flow" by Artist Nguyễn Ngọc Đan was launched on November 18 at the HCM City Fine Arts Museum.

The exhibition showcases 30 artworks, mostly large-scale pieces created between 2019 and 2023, belonging to two series: the Still Life of Birds, Flowers, Fish, and Leaves series and the Going Against the Flow series.

The Still Life series: Birds, Flowers, Fish, and Leaves comprises 16 oil paintings on canvas that narrate stories through vases of flowers, fish bowls and birds, combined with familiar daily life images such as kittens, wooden horses and masks.

Khoảng cách (distance), an oil painting by Artist Nguyễn Ngọc Đan in The Still Life series: Birds, Flowers, Fish, and Leaves. – Photo courtesy of the artist

Đan stated that this is a counter-argument to long-standing prejudices in the fine art world that do not hold high regard for these images.

The Going Against the Flow series consists of 10 large-scale oil paintings, arranged and combined with frames made of various materials such as old screens, window frames, lattice fences, barbed wire, and thatched roofs.

This series is divided into two parts for display. Part one consists of four artworks created during the period when Việt Nam underwent two major lockdowns due to COVID-19, aiming to illustrate the artist's inner perspectives during that time. The second part includes six artworks, most inspired by the proverb "fish in a pot, bird in a cage," using symbols like an empty cage with a bird, a fish touching the moon representing freedom, and objects such as vases and a dress, prompting thoughts about life and the role of people, particularly East Asian women, in the modern world.

Hãy kể tôi nghe về bầu trời (Tell me about the sky), an oil painting by Artist Nguyễn Ngọc Đan in The Going Against the Flow series – Photo courtesy of the artist

Artist Nguyễn Ngọc Đan graduated from the Surikov Institute of Fine Arts, part of the National Academy of Arts of Russia, in 2005 and has held numerous art exhibitions both domestically and internationally.

The exhibition will last until November 27. – VNS