The duo exhibition “Ephemeral Dimensions” by artists Nguyen Viet Anh and Mifa, featuring over 25 paintings in oil on canvas and acrylic on traditional Vietnamese Điệp paper, opens a dialogue on a speculative dimension where objects seemingly devoid of consciousness—like bones, rocks, fossils, or concrete blocks—exist independently of human conventions, silently recording the shifts of geological strata and history.
In “Ephemeral Dimensions”, inspirations from nature or man-made, ancient or modern, sediment or new structures, coexist together. Gardens, objects, sunlight, mist, and animals all inhabit the subconscious, newly moulded and shaped by the two artists. Each may stand independently, yet when blended, create an ethereal vision, where non-human entities become the centrepiece, stepping into the foreground and taking over the leading roles, no longer in the background. This collaboration between the two artists has created new and unexpected pathways. Both Mifa and Viet Anh are in their transformative era, having mastered their techniques and are now ready to experiment in new territories.
For Mifa, this series marks her skillful balance between the use of traditional Điệp paper and incorporating strokes with techniques such as calligraphy, clay printing, gold leaf, watercolour, and acrylic layering. She feels confident to express what she wants as soon as her brush touches the paper and skillfully adjusts the work as she desires. Conceptually, Mifa is transforming from expressing her ideas in a safe, gentle manner to a new phase, where she confronts her emotions more directly. As for Viet Anh, he is in the next stage of exploring “Morphing Wonders”. With the desire to create spatial perspective on spaces that emphasise form, Viet Anh always decisively paints with intuition and lets the brush guide him rather than focusing on standard composition rules. Viet Anh’s journey and final destination only has one guiding principle: to create expansive spaces with minimal form and colour. “Ephemeral Dimensions” serves as a resting point for both creators, highlighting the interplay between one’s personal emotions and visual language, guiding us through realms of the void and the tangible, existence, subconscious and reality.
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Mifa, Poem from a lichen garden (Thơ trong vườn địa y), 2021-2024
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Mifa, Until the day the flower blooms (Đợi đến ngày hoa nở), 2023
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Mifa, Flow of strata (Dòng chảy địa tầng), 2021
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Mifa, A quite life of a mushroom (Cuộc đời thầm lặng của một cây nấm), 2020
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Mifa, 1000 years weight of memories (Gánh ký ức nặng 1000 năm), 2024
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Mifa, In the garden the tortoises play (Trong vườn những chú rùa chơi), 2019
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Mifa, Water of spring (Mưa mùa xuân pha), 2019
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Mifa, A teapot that made from dust (Ấm trà bằng bụi), 2021
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Mifa, 5 centuries under the water (5 thế kỷ chìm dưới biển sâu) #76, 2018
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Mifa, 5 centuries under the water (5 thế kỷ chìm dưới biển sâu) #83, 2018
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Mifa, 5 centuries under the water (5 thế kỷ chìm dưới biển sâu) #92, 2018
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Mifa, A flower bush (Một bụi hoa), 2019
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Mifa, Carcass of a mountain (Xác của một quả núi), 2019
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Mifa, The Golden Turtle (Rùa Kim Quy), 2019
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Nguyễn Việt Anh, Formation (Tạo lập) #01, 2024
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Nguyễn Việt Anh, Formation (Tạo lập) #02, 2024
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Nguyễn Việt Anh, Formation (Tạo lập) #03, 2024
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Nguyễn Việt Anh, Fume (Một đám khói) #01, 2021
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Nguyễn Việt Anh, Fume (Một đám khói) #02, 2023
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Nguyễn Việt Anh, Garden (Vườn) #01, 2024