The exhibition 'Sắc và Không' (Form and Emptiness) is currently held at Chillala Art Space. Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY A growing art market, specifically painting, is gradually taking shape in HCM City, one that values spiritual depth and healing, captivating audiences with its stillness, both in the depth of the artwork and the introspection of the artist.

This is a kind of painting that springs from within, touching a peaceful reality for those who encounter it.

The exhibition “Sắc và Không” (Form and Emptiness), currently on display at Thủ Đức City's Chillala Art Space from May 10 to June 8, showcases works by Trần Trung Lĩnh.

It draws viewers in with its introduction: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form”, a phrase from the Heart Sutra, embodied through each layer of colour and brushstroke.

At the beginning of the exhibition, the paintings are vibrant, with strong imagery and dynamic movement. But as one progresses deeper, the colours fade, the forms become simplified, and finally, only black and white patches remain, quiet as a consciousness that has let go, no longer grasping.

This reflects a broader trend in painting, especially after the impact of the pandemic.

Many artists have embraced this approach.

From East Asian ink painting to sumi-e (Japanese ink wash painting known as meditative art), to Western abstraction, many artists have adopted minimalism as a path to the infinite, where art is not only to be admired but to awaken.

“A work is not merely visual art; it is a metaphor for consciousness: when colour dissolves, the viewer faces silence, not emptiness, but the fullness of awareness,” Lĩnh told Sài Gòn Giải Phóng newspaper:

Painting from the inner self is often associated with meditative art. But whether it truly touches meditation is, for Lĩnh, a personal contemplation.

“The desire to express myself through painting, to evoke a shared sense of peaceful reality in viewers, that is the greatest aspiration of this exhibition," he said.

"I temporarily borrow Buddhist philosophy for this series, partly because my mind leans that way lately, and partly due to life events that have brought moments of insight. Still, the paintings are only inspired by, not depictions of, the Heart Sutra,”

Mirror to the self

Previously, the exhibition Women Painting Women at the HCM City Fine Arts Association featured artworks that also delved deep into the inner world.

With Women Painting Women, the exhibition offered a distinctive perspective, where women become the storytellers of their own lives and of those around them, through painting and an inward-looking gaze.

With 69 mixed-media paintings, from lacquer and silk to oil, the exhibition not only presented striking works of art but also invited viewers to step into the rich inner worlds of female artists.

“Women are ever-present as a source of life, gentle yet strong, delicate but enduring. They are inspiration, the starting point of my art. Each piece is a personal journey, where I touch memory, find my mother within me, and engage in a dialogue with myself," artist Đặng Hiền, one of the nine featured, told Sài Gòn Giải Phóng.

"There is pain and longing, but also light, love, and gratitude. I paint to share, to connect, and to heal. If someone finds peace in my work, then the art is complete,” she added.

Similarly, artist Nguyễn Thùy Dương, a mother of four, expressed her lived experience in her works.

Her minimalist paintings focus on the feminine role of pregnancy and childbirth. The full, rounded curves symbolise fertility in contemporary visual language, presenting the pregnant woman as the centre of life, transformation, and creation.

“To me, the beauty of pregnancy lies not only in the full form but also in the blossoming of the inner self, a place of creative, loving, and sacred energy," Dương said.

"I believe that when placed in living spaces, these works will radiate vitality, love, and a deep connection to the roots of our humanity. This is not an exhibition to admire beauty, but a space for empathy, reflection, and finding oneself in stories that seem to belong to others.” VNS