Of Land and Water

2018 – Acrylic on canvas – 140cm x 160cm

Collection of Nern Chalet Beach Front Hotel, Hua Hin, Thailand

The painting “Of Land And Water” belong to a series of works called Real Estate. The general ideas for the whole series was started in 2015. “..In Vietnamese, “real estate” is called “bất động sản” which means an access which does not move. The idea of “not moving” is just a relative conditional definition. Physically, the earth moves and real estate are always moving or changing in this matter. The price of land is volatile, dependent on factors such as economic health, migration, urban planning and sometimes even based on nothing but speculation. From a sociological point of view, a piece of land is part of it people culture and hold a longstanding history of a nation. The artist paintings of the landscape of Vietnam comprise detached buildings and land, expressing the rapid movement of precious real estate similar to ships in the open sea on high tide. In his perspective, a town, city and the country is dependent on its people (the sailors) who help determine its movement; whether to move forward, remain stagnant or perhaps sink to the bottom of the sea” (1)

Going to 1st Hua Hin International Contemporary Art Residency (2), Pham Huy Thông has an advance to forget the “borders” of Vietnam and think about his subject in a wider way. Here comes another painting in Real Estate series. This painting talks about refugee people, not only Vietnamese refugees after the war 50 years ago but also about nowadays people who have had been running away from their home, leaving behind their beloved broken and burned countries. The artist believes that where ever their go, the countries is following them. Because a land just exist when there are people name it, love it and remember it. The soul of land, the soul of water, etc., therefore, having the shape of people.

In the other hands, living and working safely away from home, talking about international subjects, but artist Pham Huy Thong can’t hold his tear watching on internet videos about people in his country, who are protesting and fighting for the right to keep their own land.

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(1) – quote from Nizam Rahmat, curator of Semangat X exhibition in Petronas Gallery, KL, Malaysia 2016.

(2) – The residency program tooks place in Nern Chalet Beach Front Hotel, Hua Hin, Thailand from June 15th to July 8th, 2018. There is 12 artists from 9 countries was invited. The residency program was ended with an exhibition in Bangkok River City, Bangkok, Thailand.