» Pure Autumn #1

Pure Autumn #1 forms part of the series Reflection (2021–ongoing), built upon another series by Ha Mang Thang titled The Circle of Time (2018–ongoing), which looks at the timeless imageries and layered meanings of old lacquer panels found in the artist’s collection of antiques.  
 
Pure Autumn #1 reflects the various shades of colors often associated with autumn in Hanoi, capturing while also reimagining both the physical exteriority of the surrounding landscape, and the emotional interiority of the onlooker. This work takes as inspiration the brooding words of poet Tan Da (1889–1939), considered an influential figure in Vietnam’s New Poetry movement of the 1930s: 
 
When autumn arrives 
Its breeze a solitude 
Its dew a cold freeze 
Its moon a white gleam 
Its smoke a foggy fortress… 

– September 1920
 
(Edited from text excerpts provided by the artist)