The three largest paintings sized 144cm by 240cm (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Established artist Pham Khac Quangis showing his latest paintings which were created using a relief printing technique at anexhibition launched recently in Hanoi’s Goethe Institute.
The 11 landscapes and portraits were created in 2015 and 2016after nearly 20 years in which Quang has been involved in traditional woodcut.Three landscapes are particularly eye-catching with their size - 144cm by240cm. The paintings depict scenery typical of northern, rural Vietnam.
"I want to recall happy memories with my late beloved wife inour native homeland in Hai Duong," said Quang.
He also captures images of a garden corner; a river bank and earlymorning in his home province.
"It is a chance for me to introduce artworks which bring anew visual effect," the artist said. "At present it is not easy torecognise boundaries between art genres. If an artist does not specify, viewerswill not know which media he uses to create his work."
Born in 1975 in the northern province of Hai Duong, Quanggraduated graphics studies at the Vietnam Academy of Fine Arts. He used topaint oil-on-canvas but soon realised the medium did not suit him.
"I earn money from oil-on-canvas paintings, but I don’t feelhappy because my creativity depends on the gallery owners," Quang said."After that I centre on traditional woodcuts which are close to what Istudied - graphics."
Quang has won awards including silver medals at the Vietnam FineArts Exhibition and ASEAN Graphics Exhibition. He has also exhibited inother countries, including solo graphics installations at Denmark’s AarhusCulture Centre in 2013 and a group exhibition in the Fine Arts and CeramicVerviers Museum in Belgium.
Quang was also artist in residence at the Fresh Wind Festival inGarour, Iceland in 2012.
Although he has been recorgnised and gained success, Quang soughta change. In recent years he has experimented with relief printing techniquesusing drilling machines to cut circular holes into a printing plates.
This technique works with multiple colours, but only one printingplate. After one colour, the plate is further processed and the next colour isapplied so that more and more of the printing plate is removed. Some ofthe works can only be recognised from a distance.
"Quang’s creativity is interesting. He uses daily utilitiesto make artworks," said Wilfried Eckstein, Hanoi Goethe Institute’sdirector. "Pixel art was popular in the 1980s with two leading artists -Andy Warhole and Ferdinand Pencker. Quang’s technique is refined and is adevelopment of pixel art. I really admire his idea."
On February 25 at 3pm Quang will demonstrate his technique at theexhibition, using his own materials and tools. Visitors will then be able tocreate their own prints with Quang’s guidance. The artist’s materials and toolsare also on display at the exhibition.
The Hinh Cua Tron (Shape of Round) exhibition will rununtil March 5, from 9am to 7pm, at 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.-VNA
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