ifa gallery is pleased to present ‘‘Beneath My Skin’’, a collection of wood carvings,and paintings on canvas and paper by Dinh Y Nhi, Do Hoang Tuong, Ly Tran Quynh Giang and Nguyen Minh Thanh. Whilst previous exhibition ‘A Snapshot of Contemporary Vietnamese Art’ addressed social issues and presented an overview of creative practice in Vietnam, ‘Beneath My Skin’ presents more personal works of four artists of considerable maturity.

The common thread of the works in this show is a semblance of somberness as each of the artists evokes their emotional journeys with deep melancholy. Nguyen Minh Thanh’s delicate and peaceful self-portraits at their core convey a sense of bewilderment. Ly Tran Quynh Giang creates a dark fantasy world with her wood carvings of tortured mourning bodies and dismembered limbs. Dinh Y Nhi, who has been exploring the human condition in her paintings for the past 15 years, shows powerful renderings of women, brash, unconventional yet vulnerable in works from her recent ‘It’s Nothing’ series. Finally, a selection from several series of Do Hoang Tuong. Originally an abstract painter, in these works he analyses the human being , in particular women, in an expressionist style evoking Francis Bacon, full of violence and sadness. Women, legs spread and armless, eyes downcast; grief stricken faces from his ‘In the News’ series, his works all express an intense tortured loneliness.

Each of these artists articulates their individual concerns and identity and engages in deep personal reflection.