Development, Influence, Artistic Style
Mai Huy Dung was born in 1974 and graduated from the Graphic Design faculty of the Hanoi Open University. He is one of the young generation of artists who grew up in post-war Vietnam and time of increasing political, economic, and artistic freedom.
His artwork is tremendously emotional, characterized by extreme play with colors, direct yet playful. “When I look at my pictures once more, I realize that sometimes I am so gentle, sometimes quick-tempered, hot and even fierce.”
For his paintings, Mai Huy Dung has picked a few themes that seem to be decisive for his life and passion. These themes - ranging from the “Frontier Area” in the Northern mountains of Vietnam and the Minority people living there, to his colorful “Nude” paintings of the female body, to the beautiful landscapes and still lives - do not try to convey a political or historic message related to propaganda or war experience, as have most of the artwork of older Vietnamese artists do. They are independent expressions of life in a modernizing, emerging country, showing the growing emancipation of art from the traditional Chinese, French and Soviet influence of the decades and centuries before.
In his own words: “If some asked whether my paintings transfer a great idea, whether it contains any message or not, I would answer: No, my paintings only have sincerity.”
He is one of the artists of this young, post-war generation that will have a lasting impact on the future development of the Vietnamese art scene towards further increasing autonomy. We believe in the “investment grade” of Mai Huy Dung’s art, as it is unique, full of passion, and has shown continued development in creativity and level of abstraction.
