Nguyen Minh Thanh
Nguyen Minh Thanh (b. 1971, Vietnam) graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 1996 and is considered one of the most influential artists in shaping the development of contemporary art in Vietnam during the 1990s and 2000s. His works carry a meditative, introspective quality deeply rooted in Vietnamese life and culture. Engaging with Buddhist notions of attachment and transcendence, and working primarily with printmaking ink and Chinese ink on dzo paper, Minh Thanh explores themes of family relationships across social, philosophical, and psychological dimensions through portraits of himself, his mother and close ones. He reflects: “I believe that inside each person there is a true and perfect beauty… that beneath our minds lies peace, and from that peace, everything begins.”
Minh Thanh has exhibited extensively both in Vietnam and internationally. His works are included in the public collections of the Singapore Art Museum, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan, the World Bank Art Program, as well as numerous prestigious private collections
Studio Visit with Nguyen Minh Thanh
In this 18-minute video interview, Nguyen Huy An goes over the highlights of his artistic journey, from graduating as an Art Pedagogy student to becoming a critically acclaimed practicing artist. Driven by personal curiosity, Huy An discusses his venture into and experimentation with performance and installation art, marking a significant transition in his artistic focus. Initially rooted in expressions of personal narratives and introspection, his practice has evolved towards a broader public discourse encompassing socio-political matters. Although known for its conceptual depth, the simplicity and minimalist tendency of his art stems from the frugality of classical aesthetics often found in Tang poetry and the Zen spirit.
This video is part of a series of interviews by Nguyễn Art Foundation.