For 79-year-old painter from Mekong Delta, each stroke is a memory

When all in front of one's eyes becomes symbols, then this is an art world filled with riddle and mystery to those who view it.

"The Canvas of Memories," the solo exhibition of Vietnamese artist Le Trieu Dien, is under way at DUMONTEIL Shanghai through March 12.

The exhibition features 16 oil paintings by the veteran artist from 2020 and 2021.

It is difficult to believe that these brilliantly hued canvases filled with imagination and vitality were created by a 79-year-old.

Born in Ben Tre Province, Vietnam, Le studied painting from an early age and was educated at the Phu Tho Institute of Technology in Ho Chi Minh City where he still lives and works.

"I grew up in the Mekong Delta region that converges many cultures, traces of wars, the opening-up of the lands, building villages and establishing pagodas. The living places of each region and emotions of each ethnic group are condensed in each stroke of my painting," he said.

This is not only a personal recollection of his upbringing, but also a collective memory of the cultural development of the Mekong Delta.

In the "Mekong Delta" series, he relates his feelings to the region's historical changes and social life.

The integration of blue, green, purple and red, brown and yellow blocks in the background of the canvas epitomize the changing mornings and seasons in the Delta.

Le's narrative technique incorporates images, motifs and ancient characters of various ethnic groups and religions that permeate the daily life of Vietnam.

His works are interwoven like a chain of memories that flickers. Through the bold colors and rich brushstrokes on canvas, you can see that the artist still – at almost 80 – has a passion for nature and life through his childlike sensitivity and curiosity.

The unusual shapes and symbols are a collection of boats and boatmen in the Non-La, ricefields and orchards by rivers, the floating markets, the Buddhist temples and houses clinging to the riverbank.

Ti Gong

Exhibition info

Date: Through March 12 (closed on Mondays and Sundays), 11am-7pm

Venue: DUMONTEIL Shanghai

杜梦堂

Address: Bldg 105, 199 Hengshan Road

衡山路199号105栋