» Artist » Nguyen Van Cuong

Nguyen Van Cuong (b. 1972, Vietnam) graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 1996 and is regarded as one of Vietnam’s most diverse and respected contemporary artists. Growing up and making art during the transitional period in which Vietnam shifted from a subsidized system to a socialist-led market economy, much of Cuong’s practice critically and satirically reflects on the country’s rapid social and political changes. A recurring thread in his work is the notion of a society in decline, rife with “cultural pollutions.” 
 
Bold and dynamic, his paintings merge the fluidity of traditional brushwork with the stark immediacy of graphic imagery. They bristle with aggressive symbols of the new capitalist and consumerist Vietnam: Benjamin Franklin’s head and name emerging in the most unlikely places, referencing the $100 bill; suited men signaling power and authority; naked women evoking the vulnerable and the seemingly powerless. Karaoke machines, computers, and other emblems of mass consumption also populate his compositions, amplifying his critique of contemporary life. 
 
As Cuong once remarked, “We need to make critical art for our changing society. We need to make necessary art.” In stark opposition to what has long been considered “fine art” in Vietnam, his practice is brutal and uncompromising – an unflinching mirror held up to the abject realities of a nation in transformation.

Studio Visit with Nguyen Van Cuong