After nearly 20 years of working in the fashion field, designer Do Manh Cuong launched his first solo exhibition called "Seasons of Flowers in Memories", marking a shift to painting.
The exhibition opened on September 12 at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, introducing 45 large and small works. This is the first time Do Manh Cuong has presented relatively fully the world of painting that he has pursued and preserved for many years.
Do Manh Cuong once went to France to study fashion design. The years living in Paris also helped Do Manh Cuong regularly interact with painting through museums and galleries. However, he chose fashion as his career path. From the "Loneliness" collection in 2007, the DMC brand to SIXDO in 2020, the designer gradually built his own mark in this field.
When fashion work became stable, the love of painting returned. Flowers and plants continued to be images throughout Do Manh Cuong's aesthetic world. If in the past roses, gardens, butterflies and organic shapes appeared on costumes, in painting, they are directly expressed through colors and brushstrokes.
The works in "Seasons of Flowers in Memories" can still recognize familiar images such as flowers, trees, lakes or flower vases. However, Do Manh Cuong does not focus on accurately recreating natural shapes but turns them into emotional expressions.
Paintings are created from thick layers of color, strong, short and continuous brushstrokes. Contrasting color patches are placed next to each other, creating a feeling of energy. The organization of shapes and colors in paintings also shows the influence from the spirit of Post-Impressionism, Wild Beasts and expressive painting.
Notably, the imprint of a fashion designer is still present in the way Do Manh Cuong handles the composition. The color patches are layered, embossed, while flowers, leaves, ceramic vases and landscapes sometimes blend into the same color field.
With his first exhibition, Do Manh Cuong said that he seriously pursues professional painting, instead of seeing this as a stroll.
The exhibition "Seasons of Flowers in Memories" is open free of charge from 8am to 5pm every day, from September 12th to 20th at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts.
