Hong Viet Dung

Biography

Hong Viet Dung was born in 1962 in Hanoi and in 1984 graduated with a degree in Painting from the Hanoi Industrial College of Fine Art. Dung has exhibited in several countries including Russia, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Norway, USA, Australia and Great Britain. He has also participated in the Europ'Art International Art Fair in Geneva, Switzerland. He has also held a retrospective of work in the collection of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and Singapore art museum .

Hong Viet Dung paints for the viewer to experience his work. It is said that his works are reflective of the artist's introspective nature. In the present work Ha Long Bay, the subject matter does more than remind the viewer of the Vietnamese national treasure which has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and is a leading tourist destination. It emanates a quiet charm immediately apparent to the viewer, an irony considering the legendary origins of the bay. According to local tradition, 'Ha Long' is translated literally as the 'Bay of descending Dragons'. In an attempt to save the Vietnamese people from a foreign invasion, these dragons spewed pearls which formed the scattered limestone structures of today, preventing the invaders from approaching. The thrashing chaos that made this story is where the artist has painted peace and tranquility, thinly veiled in a shade of grey, almost like a protective slip from any disorder. Hong Viet Dung's compositions are not complicated, with this simplicity extracting and emoting the very essence of the work to the viewer. Hong's works has also been auctioned in international auction houses like Christies.