Biography

Nguyen Tuan Dung (b. 1990) is an artist from Thanh Hoa, Vietnam.

After graduated from Vietnam University of Industrial Fine Arts, he is now living in Hanoi, where he dedicates himself to creating art and art teaching.

Artistic Approach

Dung’s art captivates with its striking realism; against a newspaper backdrop, meticulously detailed shadows bring his subjects to life. By choosing to paint on newspaper-covered canvas, he transforms the world’s events into the very canvas he works on. In doing so, Dung skilfully captures the essence of people’s personal lives amidst a constantly evolving world.

He masterfully showcases the industrious spirit of the Vietnamese people, focusing primarily on the unassuming bicycle as his central subject. Although his paintings lack human figures, the hyperrealist portrayal of bicycles adorned with flowers and fruits renders such figures unnecessary.

The well-worn bicycles in his art narrate tales of labourers commuting between farm and city, vendors transporting goods for sale, and children journeying home from school. Dung reflects on his artistic journey, stating, “My art studies left me pondering a challenging question: how to authentically convey the personal identities of those living around me. Portraits and landscapes fell short until I recognised the potential of objects. Personal items, at times, unveil much more than meets the eye initially.“

Exhibition

• 2023 – Group Exhibition – Craig Thomas Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City
• 2020 – Solo show – Craig Thomas Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City
• 2019 – Group Exhibition
  • “10th Anniversary of CTG ‘Ten-acious’”, Craig Thomas Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City
  • Exhibition 36+, Hanoi Exhibition House
  • “New Rural Area”, Vietnam Fine Arts Association
• 2018 – Group Exhibition
  • CTG Nomad, Craig Thomas Gallery, New York City, USA
  • 9th Anniversary of CTG, Craig Thomas Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City
  • Vietnam – Korea Fine Arts Festival
• 2017 – Group Exhibition
  • Fine Arts Contemporary Vietnam
  • Thailand Young Art Biennale 2017, Museum of Fine Arts Ho Chi Minh City
  • Exhibition of Vietnamese Contemporary Artists in Thailand
  • Celebrating 8 Years of CTG: “Say”, Craig Thomas Gallery, Ho City Chi Minh
• 2017 – Solo show – “Ra Phố” – Art Blue Gallery, Singapore
• 2016 – Solo show – “Bạn Tôi” – Craig Thomas Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City
• 2016– Group Exhibition
  • 9X Group Exhibition, Vietnam Fine Arts Association Exhibition House, Hanoi
  • Tet Art 2016, Hanoi Creative City
• 2015 – Group Exhibition
  • National Fine Arts Exhibition, Vietnam Art and Culture Exhibition House, Hanoi
  • Art For You 2015, Station 3A, Ho Chi Minh City
  • Third Diversity Art Exhibition, Work Room Four, Hanoi
  • International Art Exhibition, Korea
• 2014 – “Chất Hanoi” Group Exhibition, Hanoi

Awards

• 2017 Consolation Prize, Young Art Biennale, Museum of Fine Arts Ho Chi Minh City
• 2015 Consolation Prize, National Fine Arts Exhibition 2015, Vietnam Culture and Arts Exhibition House, Hanoi

Artworks

Chút Hương Tháng Sáu (2020)

Acrylic on canvas

90 × 70 cm

Sắc Phố (2018)

Acrylic on canvas

90 × 70 cm

Hồng Xuân (2020)

Acrylic on canvas

90 × 70 cm

Hương Phố (2019)

Acrylic on canvas

80 × 100 cm