Face to FaceRecent Vietnamese PaintingMinotaur Gallery, Tel AvivThere are around 30 paintings on exhibit at the Minotaur Gallery, all by two women and three men in their 30s and 40s. And the reason the exhibition is entitled “Face to Face” is that the lion’s share of the paintings are portraits.“Hanoi Happy Hour” is a series of 13 portraits of Vietnamese men, most smoking cigarettes, and the most notable feature about these paintings is the heavy textural quality of the paint in them.A single painting by Dang Thao Ngoc is called “Wedding Party 11 Guests.” Half of the guests are elderly. Half are children.Another single painting by Le Anh Quan is called “Family.” It depicts a complex abstract shape composed of blue and black lines and masses. Perhaps it is intended to depict how a family hangs together without differentiation from one another. “Red Lips,” by Dang Thao Ngoc, features a young woman and a girl with piercing eyes. “Green Girls,” also by Dang Thao Ngoc, shows a woman and a girl with green faces. It is refreshing and even rewarding to obtain exposure to this side of Vietnam’s cultural life. The exhibition remains on view until 2 April.
