"The gentleman tree" - each tree is like each person

Consisting of 15 medium and large paintings, along with 2 installation sculptures, “The Gentleman Tree” is inspired by the artist’s own life - after the COVID-19 pandemic and his subsequent journey from Saigon to Binh Thuan to live and work (in 2023). La Gi, where Hoang Thien Phuc was born and raised, has a semi-desert terrain, many sand dunes, and flora that exists in a nutrient-poor environment. In fact, there is no such thing as the Gentleman Tree in nature, it is a tree created by Hoang Thien Phuc’s idea, symbolizing a natural organism that both coexists and resists the harshness of both nature and humans.

The plants that Thien Phuc “plants” can be shaped from real images: Grass, coconut, Melaleuca (“Bon Bon Grass”, “Lying Coconut”, “Flying Melaleuca”) but can also be just symbols or questions: “Gentleman Tree”, “O Tree”, “Ua Tree”. What they have in common is that the trunk and thorns are clearly visible but do not grow many leaves; the trees are bent, truncated, and tilted more than the trees that stand straight and stretch. The colors the artist uses are mostly neon colors, looking bright and eye-catching, but the scene the artist creates has the appearance of disintegration and disconnection. In the chaos of the sky and the earth, the trees seem to have lost all vitality, but the small details bring hope to the general scene: The stakes and ropes hold the tree trunk against the wind, the flowers of the Bon Bon Grass bloom like fireworks, the image of a boy raising both hands to support a fallen tree trunk, the sun does not set, the water of the river still flows to the sea...

It is difficult for viewers to guess whether the “developments” in the paintings are just moments that will soon pass, like a storm, or the ominous reality that people will have to continuously receive and deal with. Even the author himself finds it difficult to distinguish: “Somewhere, there are blades of grass that grow to their maximum, there are blades of grass that are dying, there are blades of grass that are damaged, there are blades of grass that are protected, the beauty of nature appears, the beauty of freedom is also something that people crave”. But “Observe carefully when the tide goes down, the ugly garbage dumps are revealed so heavy that the waves cannot wash them all away”.

It is undeniable that human beings have a desire to master nature, but the freedom to exploit nature to the maximum extent has led to the depletion, destruction and destruction of the natural environment. The greater the level of disruption of the structure and order of nature, the deeper and more serious the loss and damage that humans have to bear, both materially and spiritually.

According to exhibition curator Nguyen Hai Nam: “The naive notion that ‘Nature will return’ is often used to describe the resilience of plants and ecosystems after disasters. It reflects the natural world’s ability to regenerate and adapt, even in the face of destruction or human intervention… However, the works also raise important questions: What does resilience really mean? Is resilience always a positive thing, whether for nature or for humans? And if resilience exists, does it allow humanity to continue pursuing neoliberalism and justify the damage they cause to the natural world?”

In a life that is too complicated, if not refined, art can make people more tired by bringing up too many questions without answers. But because art is also a mirror reflecting life, we cannot limit art to the framework of only praising beauty and simple romance. The good thing about “The Gentleman Tree” is that the artist expressed his thoughts without losing his hope, that: “I am like a child, I destroy everything and then find a way to fix them”. “The power of love makes everything stand still and quiet”, to recognize the true values ​​and find ways to preserve them.

What could be greater than peace of mind? Coming to a space that is too wild, we can be scared and overwhelmed by the lack of people. But in a place that is too crowded with people, encountering a wild natural scene can make us feel secure because of its presence. The feeling of peace is that nature and people are nurtured and protected together. Art is not the answer to all the chaos of life, but thanks to art, a tree in a painting can come to life, planting many seeds in souls.