The exhibition will take place from January 11 to February 24, 2024, at the prestigious Almine Rech Gallery, one of the world’s largest and most esteemed art galleries.
Tia-Thuy Nguyen will bring 20 captivating works to Paris, showcasing her unique talent for telling engaging stories through a diverse tapestry of life.
She skillfully manipulates materials, demonstrating a profound mastery of embroidery techniques and traditional crafts.
Notably, her skillful integration of light with her artwork enhances the overall experience, creating unique visual and emotional journeys for viewers.
The serendipitous encounter with Almine Rech
Founded in 1997 by French businessman and artist Almine Rech, the Almine Rech Gallery has quickly become one of the leading art galleries in Paris and globally.
Today, the gallery has multiple branches worldwide, including locations in Brussels, London, New York, and Shanghai.
With its extensive experience, the Almine Rech Gallery excels in curating opportunities and spaces to showcase distinctive works of art, while also serving as a platform to introduce emerging talents to a global audience.
In addition to running the renowned gallery, Rech is also the co-founder of FABA (Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso), an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Pablo Picasso and maintaining an extensive archive of his works.
Rech’s representative stated that they have been following Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s artistic journey for a long time and have recognized her talent and dedication through her works.
Therefore, the Almine Rech Gallery decided to organize a solo exhibition dedicated to Tia-Thuy Nguyen, marking a luminous milestone at the beginning of the new year in 2024.
“This collaboration is not only an artistic endeavor but also the convergence of two creative minds,” Tia-Thuy Nguyen shared about the serendipitous encounter that shaped her destiny.
“I bring my own ideas and perspectives through my artwork, while the Almine Rech Gallery provides expertise and artistic advice.
“In my perspective, this embodies the destiny linking the creator, the artwork, and the audience.”
Sky with real sparkling clouds
‘Sparkling in the Vastness’ draws inspiration from the sky and clouds, with Tia-Thuy Nguyen choosing to express this theme through a blend of tangible and intangible elements, creating a nuanced representation.
Her father’s stories about his air force career influenced Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s keen observation abilities, curiosity, and how she perceives and interacts with the world.
Inspired by her father’s achievements, the artist has embraced virtues such as patience, determination, and resilience, incorporating these values into both her life and artistic endeavors.
“I hope that ‘Sparkle in the Vastness’ will bring wonderful experiences and create a ‘sparkle’ in the hearts of those who appreciate it,” Tia-Thuy Nguyen confided.
In addition, the artworks are also inspired by ‘My Way: The Way of White Clouds’ by Osho (1975).
In 2018, Tia-Thuy Nguyen started focusing on observing the interactions between sunlight, wind, and clouds, which create different physical shapes and colors in the sky.
She envisions herself as a cloud, projecting her emotions onto its ever-changing shapes, mirroring the fluidity influenced by the wind.
The paintings serve as Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s personal journey diary, chronicling her unconventional ‘cloud-watching’ perspective from an airplane window, gazing down into the troposphere.
To convey the hues of the sky’s clouds, inspired by insights from a pilot in the Vietnamese air force, Tia-Thuy Nguyen chose to elevate her approach and experiment with innovative composition techniques.
She explores a spectrum of paint colors, incorporating thousands of sparkling beads and utilizing extensive lengths of colorful wool fibers, all intricately woven with jute and bamboo fabric. This meticulous approach results in vibrant and dynamic interactions within her artworks.
Through this process, a harmonious interplay between light and shadow emerges, casting captivating effects on the surface of the artworks.
The distinctiveness of this collection extends beyond the conceptualization and materials, encompassing the artist’s adept control over the play of light on each transparent, sparkling bead.
A subtle vibration within the artworks induces movement in the beads on the surface, allowing the clouds to transition between states of gentle calmness and intense strength.
The perception of the clouds within the artworks varies for each viewer, influenced by the environment in which the artworks are placed.
Light reflects across the surface, perpetually altering the texture of the artworks in an ongoing play, akin to an ever-changing game.
As a result, each individual’s experience of Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s work is bound to be unique and dynamic, ensuring that no two encounters are alike.
Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s unique position in the contemporary art world
In the introduction to Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s exhibition at the Almine Rech Gallery, Mara Hoberman, a researcher and editor in the field of art and culture, remarked: “Tia-Thuy Nguyen has upgraded and experimented with a new compositional technique, allowing the artworks to transcend their inherent stereotypical expression framework and focus more on the viewer’s experience.”
Hoberman particularly praised Tia-Thuy Nguyen for her adept development of painting techniques reminiscent of renowned artists like Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Camille Pissarro.
Through these techniques, she skillfully captures the ephemeral effects of sunlight and shadow on clouds, as well as the expansive interplay between heaven and earth.
“My father’s stories have played a significant role in shaping my capacity for keen observation and thorough research, influencing not only my artistic endeavors but also my approach to living and confronting life’s challenges,” Tia-Thuy Nguyen referred to her solo exhibition at the Almine Rech Gallery.
“Patience, determination, and striving are also values that I have learned from his career and applied to my life and artworks.
“I aspire for ‘Sparkling in the Vastness’ to offer delightful experiences and evoke a luminous ‘sparkle’ in the hearts of viewers.”
Being invited by the Almine Rech Gallery to organize a solo exhibition highlights Tia-Thuy Nguyen’s unique position in the contemporary art world.
These achievements also contribute significantly to her ongoing journey of reviving and rejuvenating traditional crafts and Vietnamese folk arts.
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