» Smoldering

With the Smoldering series, Vuong Van Thao continues to delve into his enduring concerns with memory, time, and transformation – this time shifting from the memory of the city to the inner memory of the human spirit. Using charred wood, acrylic paint, and gold leaf, he creates richly layered surfaces where cracks appear like scars of time. Wooden frames are scorched in fire, leaving charred lines and natural fissures that reveal hidden depths – as though long-buried desires, passions, and life forces are slowly reemerging.

The flames in Smoldering do not erupt violently but burn quietly, glowing red – at once fierce and subdued – evoking the latent energy within human beings, those life currents that seem dormant yet are always ready to flare up. Gold leaf delicately shines beneath the surface like sacred glimmers, elevating the work into the realm of ritual, where one is compelled to confront the self.