artLIVE – ‘I could be a leaf, I could be a flower, I could even be the earth beneath – but I could also be the sky above. What I am remains unclear; all I know is my freedom. Amid the rustle of nature, I embrace a realm of poetic reverie.’
It is the moment when the inner voice suddenly comes to a halt -softly rising from a contemplative terrain – as I follow each “breath” of Lê Minh Khoa’s works at the exhibition ‘Amidst Tides, a Quiet Unholding’.
Le Minh Khoa’s dual journey in painting and fashion
Painter Le Minh Khoa (born in 1972) graduated from the Oil Painting Department at Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts in 2000. From this academic foundation, he pivoted to applied design, emerging as a defining figure in South post-Renovation of Vietnamese fashion.
Khoa’s artistic path began in the 1990s, a pivotal era of profound shifts in Vietnamese art. After South post-Renovation, painting acrossVietnam’s North, Central, and Southern regions gradually moved beyond the framework of socialist realism, opening itself to modernist currents ranging from Expressionism to Abstraction. Within this shifting landscape, Le Minh Khoa quietly shaped his unique creative language.
He represented Vietnam at the Asian Fashion Competition in Singapore in 1999 and at Hong Kong Fashion Week in 2008. Domestically, he spent many years collaborating with Hòa Bình Theatre and Lega Fashion, while also building his own brand, Minh Khoa – leaving a recognizable imprint across both haute couture and ready-to-wear.
‘Amidst Tides, a Quiet Unholding’ marks Khoa’s debut solo exhibition at age 53 – a distillation of his parallel paths in creative and applied arts. This fusion not only defines his singular identity but mirrors the innovative spirit of Southern artists in the South post-Renovation.
‘Amidst Tides, a Quiet Unholding’ – An inquiry into freedom within life’s currents
Curated by Ace Le, the exhibition presents 28 acrylic works arranged into four thematic movements, guiding viewers through successive layers of form, color, and emotion: Mooring, Afoot, Swaying, and finally, Unholding.
In Mooring, ideas are shaped through composition. Traces of human presence and the city gradually fade, making space for raw, untouched nature. Working with acrylic paint and a flat palette knife, Le Minh Khoa builds quick, layered strokes – opening wide fields of color while cutting in sharp, delicate lines.
This visual approach reflects the inner state of people living in a fast-moving world. Caught up in the pursuit of money, love, or success, we often forget to give ourselves a quiet moment – to pause, to breathe, to rest, and to gently hold ourselves.
Having Moored on new shores, the traveler’s stance firms; Khoa resolves his formal inquiries in Afoot. Here, soft-hard interplay – fluid medium meets precise tool – unveils mysterious, multifaceted spaces, inviting viewers on primordial outings amid rivers, mud, grass, and ancestral echoes, enveloped by nature‘s balm against life’s burdens.
With Swaying, a neon palette subtly opens onto a realm that is light, translucent, and buoyant – like suspended movements of the subconscious. As he masters the palette knife technique, Le Minh Khoa allows lines to drift effortlessly into thin, luminous color fields. The result is a gentle visual vibration and a heightened sense of depth, offering a freshness distinct from his earlier series.
Sunlight seems to filter through foliage; the breath of grass spreads across the canvas surface, awakening tender memories long thought to be dormant, and leaving behind a quiet exhilaration before nature’s dreamlike beauty.
In the final movement, Unholding, the artist works with thin layers of gold that both define space and dissolve into the composition. The wet-on-wet technique, requiring speed and precision, creates a decisive rhythm reminiscent of fashion cutting – where instinct and control coexist.
Together, the four series mark parallel evolutions of thought and technique. Space, line, color, and material converge to form an abstract visual language unmistakably marked by Le Minh Khoa’s sensibility.
Following the journey of this “boat,” viewers are not asked to anchor themselves, nor to search anxiously for order or recognizable forms. Before them unfold only fields of color – surging, interweaving, layering, and colliding.
Echoing the lyrics of the song May the World Be Gentle with you: “If you are sad, just cry, regardless of watching eyes. Let that sorrow drift away with the clouds and sky”.
“Amidst Tides, a Quiet Unholding” allows tears to fall. And in that moment of release, the human heart touches a realm of peace that has long quietly resided deep within oneself – within you, and within life itself.
The exhibition “Amidst Tides, a Quiet Unholding” is open to the public from January 10 – 21 at CHILLALA – House of Art, 75 Xuan Thuy Street, An Khanh Ward (formerly Thao Dien), Ho Chi Minh City.
