Ha Tri Hieu
Ha Tri Hieu (b. 1959, Vietnam) graduated from the Vietnam University of Industrial Art in 1983. He is known as one of the leading artists of his generation, and an important member of Gang of Five – the first group of Vietnamese artists in North Vietnam to gain international recognition. The subject of much of Hieu’s poetic work is the beauty and simplicity of rural life in Vietnam. The artist was deeply influenced by the years he spent as a child in the countryside. Recurring images of water buffaloes, stone temple dogs and farmers evoke feelings of nostalgia and the innocence of childhood. What makes Hieu’s art unique is the symbiosis between romantic and expressionistic elements, between naive forms and impetuously chosen colors, combined with a refined understanding of the subtleness of light. His works are featured in the museum collections of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), National Museum of Malaysia, Vietnam Fine Art Museum, as well as in various private collections in Vietnam and abroad. Hieu has an extensive exhibition history, with notable exhibition including Gang of Five: Chancing Modern, The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, HCMC, Vietnam, 2018; AIA Vietnam Eye, nest by AIA, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2016; Flower, Eight Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam, 2012; My Way, Art Vietnam Gallery Hanoi, Vietnam, 2008; Vietnamese Identity, Melbourne, Australia, 2000; Solo exhibition, Mai Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam, 1998; and Gang of Five exhibition in Vietnam, 1991, and travelled to Bangladesh, 1993, UK, 1994, and Hong Kong, 1996.