Introduction.
Le Kinh Tai is a striking phenomenon of Vietnamese contemporary fine arts with a unique art style. Since 2000, Tai has become one of the typical artists and his paintings have been at ‘top’ selling prices in the art market.
Le Kinh Tai's painting expresses a different aesthetic concept, which is a mixture of street art, pop art, concept painting, and advertising paintings (poster) - these factors have made Tai's works unique. Tai's painting has rejected the 'traditionality' of the temple and countryside aesthetic style, but sought another aesthetic style associated with modern urban life, which includes strong and fast pace of life, vibrant lifestyle, stifling, cramped and noisy atmosphere... Le Kinh Tai expresses all the good and bad aspects of urban life but does not copy that reality, he uses his images and colors to describe that atmosphere, that lifestyle, that rhythm.
‘As for me, there is nothing more confident than standing in front of the canvas, I seem not to paint, I seem to directly and honestly talk to myself about life, about the ego of 'animal - human' through the brush to create the figures or shapes that I 'see' and face them every day’, Tai expressed, ‘Other artists use animals to be personified to human beings, but I do the opposite, using the human being to be animalized to show our inner and to highlight the animal part inside each of us’. Not only painting, Tai also wrote his statements and contradictory thoughts on his paintings, making viewers impressed by the artist's ‘ego’.
According to the art researcher Pham Long, Le Kinh Tai’s human-animal characters are rich in instinct and the symbols of human philosophy of contemporary life, sometimes containing many abstract signals that are difficult to grasp. Owning a powerful brush style, bright color palette, generous mind and innovative thinking, especially sensitive temperament and passionate emotions with endless sources of topics filtered from his diverse life experience, he has composed paintings and statues with a very clear concept: ‘I want to paint the inner beauty of human where only I can find myself and understand what I'm thinking’.
With extremely strong color palette, in the sense of strongly contrasting colors, the figures in his paintings look weird but vivid and more or less paradoxical to create humor. Le Kinh Tai's works are full of satire and mockery, exploring the issues on human's 'ego'. His paintings make viewers have to think and talk to themselves.
Tai prefers to create large size paintings, which proves that he has the ability to manage space and layout in paintings firmly. The quick-strong drawing manipulation, continuously direct drawing method, and the use of original colors without mixing, mean that he has to be very good at restraint, because, there is any chaos without order in it, isn't there?!
13 Solo Exhibitions.
2017
‘Retrospective’, Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA), Hanoi, Vietnam
2017
‘Human’, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam
2015
‘Go’, Le Kinh Tai’s Studio, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2012
‘Wooden fish, Imaginary cake and Very fresh meat’, New Space Art Gallery, Hue City, Vietnam
2011
‘Tò he (Toy figurine)’, Viet Art Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam
2009
‘Day Dreaming 2’, Vermont Studio Center, USA
2009
‘The 25th Hour’, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, HCMC, Vietnam
2008
‘Human’, Indochina Arts Partnership, Boston, MA, USA
2008
‘Date of a day’, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
2007
‘End of day is night’, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
2006
‘Day Dreaming’, Ho Chi Minh City Association of Fine Arts, HCMC, Vietnam
2005
‘Something about life’, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
1997
‘Le Kinh Tai’s paintings’, Vietnam Galerie, HCMC, Vietnam
41 Selected Group Exhibitions.
2018
‘North West Area’, VICAS Art Studio, Hanoi, Vietnam
Charity Auction for Operation Smile, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, HCMC, Vietnam
2015
‘FILTERS’ of 3 Artists, Gem Center, HCMC, Vietnam
2014
12 Artists Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Association, HCMC, Vietnam
2013
12 Artists Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts University, HCMC, Vietnam
15 Outstanding Artists, Craig Thomas Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
2012
‘Art Exhibition 2012’ of 12 Artists, Applied Arts Center, HCMC, Vietnam
2011
‘Art Exhibition 2011’ of 12 Artists, Applied Arts Center, HCMC, Vietnam
‘Saigon Lacquer Painting’, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts University, HCMC, Vietnam
5 Artists Group Show, Craig Thomas Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
Group Exhibition, Vermont Studio Center, USA
2010
‘Exhibition 2010’, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts University, HCMC, Vietnam
‘Saigon Lacquer Painting’, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts University, HCMC, Vietnam
‘Emerging Wave’, Digital Art Exhibition, Asean Korea Contemporary Photo Exhibition, Seoul, Korea
‘X3’ Group Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Association, HCMC, Vietnam
Group Exhibition, Craig Thomas Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
2009
Group Show, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Association, HCMC, Vietnam
Creating Camp Group Show, Vermont Studio Center, USA
‘Vietnam Lacquer’s Itinerary’, Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
‘Tet Zen Collection’, Zen Art Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2008
4th Southeast Asian Contemporary Art Festival (Art Singapore 2008), Suntec Art Center, Singapore
3 Digital Artists Group Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh Association of Fine Arts, HCMC, Vietnam
Consular Club Charity Art Auction, Sherwood Suite, HCMC, Vietnam
‘The Moment 2’, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
‘Tet Zen Collection’, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
2007
‘National Youth Fine Arts Festival’, Hanoi, Vietnam
9 Artists at Zen, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
Group Exhibition, NLB – National Library Board, Singapore
‘The Moment 1’, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
Operation Smile Charity Art Auction, Park Hyatt, HCMC, Vietnam
‘Southern Ceramics’, Can Thanh Park, HCMC, Vietnam
2006
‘Tet Zen Collection’, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
Consular Club Charity Auction, Sedona Town Club, HCMC, Vietnam
7 Artists at Zen, Zen Art Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam
2005
5th Young Artists Exhibition, Fine Arts Exhibition House of the Ministry of Culture, HCMC, Vietnam
2000
4th Young Artists Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
1999
3rd Young Artists Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
1998
2nd Young Artists Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, HCMC, Vietnam
1997
1st Young Artists Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University, HCMC, Vietnam
Group Exhibition of 4 Artists, Vietnam Galerie, HCMC, Vietnam
1992
Saigon Tourist Art Exhibition, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, HCMC, Vietnam
2 Public Collection.
Haslla Art World Museum, South Korea
Zen Collection, Singapore
2 Awards and Grants.
2011
Freeman International Full Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, USA
2009
Freeman Asian Full Fellowship Award, Vermont Studio Center, USA
4 Residencies.
2012
Full Fellowship, Haslla Artword Museum, South Korea
2011
International Winner – Full Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, USA
2009
International Property Awards – Asia Pacific – Full Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, USA
2008
Full Fellowship, Indochina Arts Partnership, Wellesley, MA, USA
1 Education.
1997
BA Degree, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University
Other Information.
Member of Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association