The Art of Vi Truong

2022 is the 20th anniversary of my father’s passing. My nephew at this point will be entering his 2nd birthday. I was thinking about how he wouldn’t know his grandfather on my sister’s side and both his grandparents on his father’s side, who have all passed on. At 50, I have often been reflecting about how my identity is shaped in some form by my parents. I find that I have a lot of both my father’s vices and virtues. And I’m sure he was shaped by his parents and was impacted by his mother’s premature death when he was a child. So this painting is part of my personal journey to find the ghosts who have directly or indirectly played a role in who I am.

Beneath the cape and facade the hidden rooms and stairs lie.

This painting has evolved quite a bit since I first started sketching it. Initially, I wanted to do a study of the human anatomy – a nude. But recent events during these strange pandemic times, especially the anti-Asian violence particularly against senior citizens, were disheartening and made me think more broadly about the history of humanity itself. Throughout history, people have been persecuted because of their race, religion, sexuality, social class, etc. We’ve seen genocides, homicides, tortures, degradation, and countless things that humans do to one another. A lot of times, I don’t pretend to comprehend humanity. In fact, I often feel like a visitor and this world is not quite my home. This painting became my “study” of the anatomy of humanity – disjointed, strange, and very alien.

On a blank canvas, a blue sky of bubble-gum pink clouds awaits

Under which a landscape of acrobatic trees and resting souls of ancient rocks laid

Where the summer heat is merciless and the winter cold is dry and blistering

But the wind whispers lullabies that soothe and massage the soul Life manages to paint itself onto the canvas

Away from the turmoil of a canvas marked by turmoil and confusion I put on my favorite suit and skirt to be one with all that is above and surrounds

When we hear the word model in the modern world, we often think of the glamorous world of beautiful people with sculpted bodies and defined facial structures. You are invited into the rather modest room of this model, absent of any of the glamour you may expect. He sees your intrigue and knows he has a captive audience. There is more than meets the eye. His skin is of the sky and earth when heaven and earth have no boundaries.

At the time this was painted, I was 51. The finiteness of mortality became a subject matter I reflected more on than I did before. A fulfilled life became a dire need.

At the end of the working day

My tired eyes pull down their shades

As you can see, my space is not my own

Your curiosity is piqued

As you intrude into my unawareness

I am almost home

And my space shall be my own

I’ll let the title speak for the painting. In the millions of years of human existence on this planet, I think about the souls that have passed through this world, past and present. Souls who had lived life to the fullest. Souls who had lived unrealized lives. Souls who were robbed of life by other souls. Souls who robbed the lives of others. Souls who had loved. Souls who never knew what that word meant. Souls who left this world in pain. Souls who left this world in peace. Souls who are still wandering…

For every passing, there is birth. Just as one being leaves existence, another comes into existence. A lifetime is a lifetime – whether it is one day for a may fly or thousands of years for a giant sequoia tree. Oceanic islands are born from the volcanic eruptions on the sea floor. The oldest islands sink back into the sea over a lifespan of millions of years. And when we move beyond our little world on this planet, stars are born and die at any given moment in our vast universe.

Everything under a permanent sky. The order and disorder of things – here and beyond. We are a microcosm of this permanent sky and we navigate under it following our guiding light and when we fade, we will join all that have faded before us. We co-exist with the mountains, seas, forests, rivers, flowers, and every other life form – all part of a whole in an even greater whole.

Our existence and demise are part of the natural order of things.

We are our own religion. We practice it everyday. We practice it in the way we treat others. We practice it in the way we treat ourselves. There are times when we blasphemed and there are times when we repent. Our bodies are our temples. Our spirits lie behind the key holes.

We wear our skin like clothing. Underneath those layers lies the naked truth.

If we are on a plane above and looking down beyond the mountain ranges and sea of blue, we might capture this - the faces of humanity. But there is an element that lies beneath hidden from view.

This painting was very much inspired by what it was like to be an American citizen during the Trump administration - to observe the first blatantly racist president who has no regard for truth, integrity, science, compassion, and overall human decency.

Even though he has been voted out of office, what is more concerning is that he has brought out the darkness in humanity that I knew existed, but not to the extent that was exemplified in the substantial amount of votes he received despite his loss.

I created this painting to lament not necessarily the state of this country, but really the state of the human race. I always believed that when we are challenged to choose between light and darkness that most of us will follow the light. But I am uncertain of that now. And this painting is a reflection of that uncertainty.

This painting is an homage to the aesthetics of mid-century modern architecture and the Japanese concept of Ma but with a post apocalyptic twist.

I live in California and in 2020, we have seen an unprecedented number of wild fires in the state and the west coast. I have lived in California for almost 40 years and I have never seen anything like it before. It is without a doubt caused by climate change. Unless we change the course on climate change soon, this will be the new reality.

We can live in a nice architectural home with Zen to the nines but our views will not be of the beautiful Japanese garden and pond, but a blood red sky.

This painting is based on a photograph I took in the subway train a few years ago on my way to work. Everybody has a story to tell. That train may take some to their destination. For others, they may keep riding.

Beneath our colors and sex we’re just particles of matter.

Not all of us came into this world with equal footing. The world can be a beautiful paradise for some and a battlefield for others. Some of us have to work harder than others. Some of us succeed and some of us succumb to the forces beyond our comprehension.

There is cruelty and kindness among us. We see one person kill another for country or one god over another. We see people persecuted because they are "different". For those of us who cannot find peace in our physical existence, we contemplate a spiritual existence where it can exist.

The twilight world is the world that overlaps between the two existences. Ultimately, we want to transcend to this spiritual existence where our souls can find peace.

The title speaks for itself.

Based on a photograph I saw of a homeless woman.  I saw a similar looking woman in the subway train as well, with heavy make-up and glammed up.

I wanted to create a colorful abstraction that can be seen from two angles.  Originally intended as two overlapping nuns (hence the name), this piece has evolved into something much more geometrical than I originally intended.  I really enjoyed mixing the colors on this one.

Our world is so much smaller now with the advancement of technology. It can make the world warmer when we connect with others on social media with common interests such as the love of art on Instagram. The world can also be cold when two people are in the same room, both focused on their phones and not each other.

We also see that we have an assimilation and convergence of cultures, which gives each one of us an opportunity for us to understand, embrace, and accept one another. But, as we see in events around the world and also from the repulsive behavior of some of our leaders, that is not always the case. This piece is meant to represent how our lives interweave with each other.

I can’t fight off the cubist bug. I should just embrace it. Wanted to use more subtle and subdued colors on this one, skin tones.

As I was mixing up the colors I was thinking about all of us in this now small world. All interconnected. The journey from conception to completion is documented here.

This piece is a further exploration of spirituality, religion, and an homage to strong women.

It is interesting that the major world religions tend to assign a male gender to their respective divine being but our entrance into the world is through the womb of our mothers. The matriarch, whether it is with humans or animals, are the protectors and foundation behind the family unit. Now if you extend this concept to a higher metaphysical level, you have goddesses embodied in Mother Nature or the energy from the universe who have witnessed the impermanence of mortality and the ever changing landscape.

This piece was meant to convey a meditative state when we are nothing more than particles in space.

Sometimes, we can feel so alone even in a crowd of people.  In those moments of psychological and spiritual desolation, we can try to find comfort and strength in ourselves.

The brighter side of aging.

When I first visited San Chapel in Paris, it provoked an indescribable awe in me.  It was so beautiful and so sacred, but not in a religious way.  It left me with this spiritual transcendence that made me itch to create something from this new found inspiration.  But I didn't want to recreate a painting of the cathedral, as there is no way I can do it any justice.  So, I decided to do a representational abstract version.  The result is this piece.  The Christ-like figure placed in the painting is representational of the spiritual yearning that all human beings have.

Inspired by the search to connect our own understanding of ourselves in the context of the universe.

From a photograph I saw, I was drawn to the expression on the woman's face.

Every mother wants their child to love and be loved.

Inspired by a dilapidated shopping mall.  Also a symbol of a meltdown.

Inspired by a National Geographic photo of an Afghan woman with a caged bird on her head

The point where the light shines brightest in my temple of self is when my soul has melded with the mountains.