The “Nguyen” exhibition features 24 oil paintings, six ceramic and stone sculptures, and a segment simulating the future architectural sculpture project of the Temple of Devotion. The overarching theme of the project revolves around faith, the veneration of femininity, and art history, capturing memories through “paintings” of life experiences that honor the female body and soul across ancient and modern times, diverse races, ages, and continents as observed by the artist.
The Temple of Devotion is a comprehensive art project that combines architecture, landscape, painting, sculpture, sound, and light. It is primarily conceptualized and created by artist Nguyen Quan and the Song May Contemporary Art Museum, curated by Vu Hong Nguyen over four years (2020–2024). This project aims to establish a unique contemporary art space within the future Song May Museum, serving as a public venue for aesthetic, artistic, and spiritual experiences.
Nguyen Quan, born in 1948 in Phu Tho, graduated in Cybernetics from Merseburg University, Germany, in 1971. He held various significant positions, such as Deputy Dean of the Department of Theory and Art History at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts (1977–1984), member of the Secretariat of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, and Editor-in-Chief of the Fine Arts Magazine (1984–1989). Since 1990, he has been living and working in Ho Chi Minh City.
Artist Nguyen Quan (right) shares at the Exhibition.
Nguyen Quan has authored 16 books on art theory and history, with approximately 1,000 articles on art and culture published in Vietnam and internationally. He is recognized as one of Vietnam’s leading art historians and critics, playing a pivotal role in promoting Vietnam’s New Painting Movement during the 1980s and 1990s.
