Painting exhibition features flood season in Mekong Delta

A solo exhibition of painter Ca Le Thang opened in Hanoi on December 9 under the theme ‘Mua Nuoc Noi’ (Flood season).

Painter Ca Le Thang (R) at the opening ceremony of the exhibition (Photo: NDO/My Hanh)
Painter Ca Le Thang (R) at the opening ceremony of the exhibition (Photo: NDO/My Hanh)

The exhibition introduces visitors to 50 paintings created by Thang over the past 10 years, featuring the natural scenes of the Mekong River Delta during the flood season.

The flood season in the Mekong Delta, locally known as ‘floating season’, takes place from the seventh to the ninth lunar month when the water level is on the rise and the rivers and canals expand.

As the water rises, locals look to switch trade. Instead of farming, they start to exploit aquatic animals. The annual floodwaters carry nutrient-rich alluvium to farmland and provide a bounty of fish, shrimp and other aquatic species.

In his paintings, Thang utilises horizontal composition and warm colours to present the movements of water flows, waves, clouds, and wild nature in an abstract style.

Sharing his thoughts about the exhibits, painter Ly Truc Son said that Ca Le Thang has created his own way to follow the arts with inspiration coming from flood season.

He hailed Thang as an excellent visual artist whose artworks are imbued with typical features of the Southern region.

The exhibition will run until December 18 at the Art Space of the Vietnam University of Fine Art, 42 Yet Kieu street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.

Born in 1949 in Ben Tre province, Ca Le Thang is a graduate of the Vietnam University of Fine Art (VUFA). He once worked as a lecturer at the VEUFA and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts. His artworks have been displayed at many prestigious exhibitions across Vietnam and foreign countries, including Singapore and the Republic of Korea.

Selected paintings on display at the exhibition: