Nguyen Van Cuong

Nguyen Van Cuong was born in 1976 in Bac Giang Province, Vietnam. He graduated from the Fine Art Teachers College in 1995 and at the top of his class from the Hanoi Fine Art University in 1999. He is currently a lecturer at the National College of Music and Painting. Cuong has had over 15 solo and group exhibitions since 1997 and has won numerous honors and awards including first prize in 1996 (Propaganda Paintings) and in 2011 (Self Portraiture). Nguyen Van Cuong primary medium is Oil on Canvas and he paints in a number of styles. The paintings on exhibit are from Cuong's recent exhibition in Hanoi entitled "Make-up Faces"

"My paintings are an attempt to show the contradiction between who women are and who they make themselves up to be. They address contradictions: femininity versus frivolity, truth versus fallacy, purity versus vulgarity, and true beauty versus a sheath of deception … I hope that "Makeup Faces" gives the viewer a subtle but provocative message with the aesthetic contained within each piece. Even better would be that the paintings lead to a dialog about "Makeup" and its implication."

- Nguyen Van Cuong