Le Quy Tong
Le Quy Tong (b. 1977, Vietnam) graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 2000. Earlier in his career, Quy Tong’s oil paintings mainly focused on the ever-changing urban landscapes or significant industrial landmarks of Hanoi. In recent years, his practice has expanded towards a more conceptual direction, incorporating sculpture, installation and moving image. The scenarios and subjects depicted in his works are often taken from mass media and out of their original context, then manipulated, abstracted and layered with new visual information surrounding ideas of collective memory and trauma. Quy Tong’s move towards themes of protest, struggle, liberation and freedom – both in Vietnam and globally – illustrates his view of the perpetual cycle of conflicts and revolutions as the undercurrent of our interwoven world history.
Quy Tong has exhibited widely in Vietnam with a number of solo shows in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, as well as elsewhere in Asia and Europe. His notable exhibitions include Illuminated Curiosities, Nguyen Art Foundation, HCMC, Vietnam, 2022; The Picture Will Still Exist, Dia Projects, HCMC, Vietnam, 2017; True Gold, Dia Projects, HCMC, Vietnam, 2016; True Blue, Manzi Art Space, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2015; and New days, Apricot Gallery, London, UK, 2011.
Studio Visit with Le Quy Tong
In this 21-minute video, Le Quy Tong shares his early interest along with various ups and downs in his pursuit of art and oil painting as a means of communication. The transition from portraying figures typical of Hanoi and Vietnam to more abstract content concerning history is also discussed, coupled with insights into Tong’s exhibitions True Blue and True Gold. Referring to found images from mass media, the artist talks about how he used them to create a history of duality and truth seeking. Amid the turbulence of COVID-19, Tong reaches faith and truth in his work, ideals that seem increasingly unattainable.
This video is part of a series of interviews by Nguyễn Art Foundation.