The exhibition "Layers of Belonging - Familiar Classes" by 2 artists Dang To Anh and Hoang Phuong Lien focuses on exploiting the theme of memories, belonging through 2 art practices with different materials and shaping languages.
Instead of choosing a gallery or museum, the exhibition is held in the open space of Galerie du Futur (LOTTE Department Store Hanoi), where viewers can encounter works right in the crowd of shoppers, without having to step through the door of an art institution.
That shift also reflects a trend of contemporary art, which is to bring art closer to life instead of waiting for the public to come.
The exhibition introduces 42 new works by 2 artists Dang To Anh and Hoang Phuong Lien. In which, Hoang Phuong Lien creates a richly textured surface from thousands of hand-tearing pieces of paper. The layers of paper stacked on top of each other make the work evoke a sense of the accumulation of memories, like traces quietly nurtured by time.
Dang To Anh again uses semi-transparent chiffon combined with Ebru Art technique. Light through many layers of material changes the work from perspective.
Dang To Anh said that she does not see "belonging" as attachment to a specific place. According to her, the feeling of belonging is created from places she has been to, people she has met, and experiences accumulated over time.
I always think that the feeling of belonging is not a fixed place. That is what is nurtured through the places we have been to, the people we have met, or the memories that seem very small but still quietly remain" - Dang To Anh said.
That idea also dominates the way the female artist works with materials. Instead of completely controlling the creative process, she lets water, light and random elements participate in the formation of the work.
If traditional painting usually starts with brushstrokes, Dang To Anh's practice starts from the water surface. The color is released onto the surface of the thickened solution, spreading spontaneously along unrepeatable flows before the artist intervenes with shaping operations.
Each water seal background is a trace of a movement that only happens once. I often think that I and the water are together completing a work" - Dang To Anh said.
For her, the appeal of water seals lies not in creating beautiful patterns but in the ability to accept randomness. The artist prepares materials but always leaves space for surprises to happen. Therefore, each work is unique.
The exhibition space is not only a place to place works but also becomes a part of the experience. Light changes at different times of the day, shadows passing through the layers of voile or the distance between viewers and the works all contribute to creating different ways of feeling.
It is known that the exhibition "Layers of Belonging" will take place from now until the end of August 20, 2026.
