HÀ NỘI — Compared to acrylic and canvas, metal is not a common medium in painting.

But for Đinh Phong, a distinctive figure in contemporary visual art, it has become the most fitting medium to express his creativity.

Different perspectives on a bronze sculpture by Đinh Phong.

At his exhibition opening in Hà Nội on Sunday, November 30, the Hồ Chí Minh City-based artist will present his finest metal works created over the past five years.

The show features 15 large-scale paintings and 17 sculptures.

Born in Hà Nội and later establishing his career in Hồ Chí Minh City, Phong has dedicated his recent years to painting and sculpture. The sheer volume of work he has produced in such a short time has surprised the art community. Since 2020, he has held three solo exhibitions in both cities, alongside a joint show with sculptor Đào Châu Hải in 2022.

Artist Đinh Phong at work in his studio in HCM City.

Phong also has a deep love of poetry, which gives his works a lyrical quality and a sense of freedom.

Speaking about his approach, he said: “I came to art because of an inner urge, without any intention or plan. If I find it interesting, strange, or new, I just do it, truly without much thought.”

Curator Vũ Huy Thông regards this exhibition as an important milestone, marking the artist’s move away from familiar materials to experiment with metal. While the works retain an abstract sensibility, their rigid structures and shifting surfaces create multiple layers of meaning.

According to Thông, the sense of ambiguity that viewers may encounter arises from the deliberate rhythm of solid and void, light and dark, that Phong constructs.

A painting that will be presented at the ‘Painting and Sculpture Exhibition by Đinh Phong’.

Sculptor Hải, who has followed Phong’s journey from the beginning, believes the true value of his work lies in its ability to reveal personal emotion – a quality not easily achieved. He notes that the transition from acrylic to metal, combined with composite techniques, has opened up a fresh creative direction.

“Art should not be bound by form or technique. What matters most is the expression of personal perception and emotion in response to the times,” Hải said.

As an artist driven by inspiration rather than theory, Phong resists fixed frameworks or conventions.

He said: “I live in the present, so I work in the present. Whatever material gives me inspiration, I work with it. Art is passion – it cannot be explained. I do not give my paintings titles because I want viewers to feel free in their own perception.”

A bronze-and-stainless-steel sculpture by Đinh Phong.

In sculpture, he pays particular attention to the interplay of solid and void. Researcher Quách Cường has commented that his style leans towards material-based aesthetics, where the expressive qualities of metal create a distinctive blend of painting, sculpture and philosophy.

Artist Đinh Phong. Photos courtesy of the artist

The Painting and Sculpture Exhibition by Đinh Phong opens to the public from November 30 to December 14 at Art Space, Việt Nam University of Fine Arts, 42 Yết Kiêu Street, Hà Nội. —VNS