Artist Tran Nam Long (b. 2005) is a truly extraordinary artist, one who transmutes space into a language of form and colors. Having lost his hearing since childhood, Nam Long’s world is one of absolute stillness; here, painting becomes the language that replaces spoken words. For Nam Long, painting is not merely a passion but the sole medium through which the young artist perceives, comprehends, and participates in existence.
The world within Nam Long’s paintings is a deeply nostalgic Hanoi, featuring old French-colonial villas, deep alleyways, and time-worn apartment blocks. The most striking aspect of the young artist's brushstrokes is a sense of devotion: Nam Long finds every detail, from fissures on weathered steps to clusters of leaves on high branches, as if fearing that to miss them would be to let them fade into oblivion. Through Long’s lens, nature is always in a state of celebration, while ordinary everyday objects appear gentle and immaculate.
Such devotion transforms each artwork into a visual "miracle." Long paints to feel himself as an indispensable part of this existence. His art serves as a testament to a philosophy of life: when we love the world with a pure and unburdened heart, life reciprocates with its most vibrant and enchanting miracles.
"Tran Nam Long's black-and-white line drawings are not mere 'sketches' in a traditional sense. They are fully realized drawings, wherein Long does not overlook a single detail, as if fearful they might be left behind." - Translator, Artist Trinh Lu
