Following his exhibition with the artist collective XEM at NAFA in September 2023, Hoang Duong Cam returned to Singapore with a powerful showcase of 19 abstract paintings on large canvases, delving into the complexities of the Vietnam War through historical accounts and personal experiences.
The exhibition featured two of his recent series, “Spaces Between Men” and “Lightning – Ideal Forms Found in the U Minh Forest”, inviting the audience to contemplate the emotions and stories within each canvas. “Spaces Between Men” captures the invisible boundaries that shape human conflict, drawing from fragments of poems, narratives and old photographs related to the war. “Lightings – Ideal Forms Found in the U Minh Forest” delves into chaos and uncertainty of the modernising of Vietnam, where lightning becomes a metaphor of unpredictability and brevity.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the artist held a workshop with NAFA-UAS Degree students and explored the power of personal and collective memories as a methodology that they could use, to experiment across medium with great creative possibilities. His sharing illuminated his approach and deepened their understanding of the role of memory in artistic innovation.
