Nguyen Duy Tri is a Vietnamese artist who rose to fame in 2023 with his series of paintings titled “Acid Madness”. These paintings are unique in that they were created using acid as a medium, resulting in vibrant colors and distorted shapes that reflect the artist’s vision of the world.
Background and Inspiration
Nguyen Duy Tri was born in 1998 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He showed an interest in art from an early age, and studied painting at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts. He was influenced by various artists, such as Salvador Dali, Vincent van Gogh, and Andy Warhol, as well as by the culture and history of his country.
He became fascinated by the effects of acid on different materials, such as metal, paper, and fabric. He experimented with various types of acid, such as hydrochloric, sulfuric, and nitric, and discovered that they produced different colors and patterns when applied to canvas. He decided to use acid as a medium for his paintings, and named his series “Acid Madness”.
The Acid Madness Series
The Acid Madness series consists of 12 paintings, each measuring 100 x 100 cm. They were created between January and December 2023, and exhibited at the Saigon Art Museum in Ho Chi Minh City in January 2024. The paintings depict various scenes and objects, such as landscapes, animals, flowers, and faces, but with a surreal and psychedelic twist. The colors are bright and vivid, and the shapes are distorted and abstract. The paintings evoke a sense of wonder, curiosity, and madness, as the artist intended.
Always Sunshine: A painting of a sunflower field, with yellow and orange acid splashes creating a contrast with the green and blue background. The sunflowers have human faces, some smiling, some frowning, some screaming. The painting represents the artist’s view of life, with its joys and sorrows, and the importance of always finding sunshine in the dark.
Acid Rain: A painting of a cityscape, with purple and pink acid drops falling from the sky. The buildings are melting and collapsing, and the people are running and panicking. The painting reflects the artist’s concern about the environmental and social issues of the modern world, and the need for change and action.
The Acid Trip: A painting of a human eye, with a rainbow of acid colors swirling around it. The eye is wide open and staring, and the pupil is dilated. The painting expresses the artist’s experience of using acid as a psychedelic drug, and the altered state of consciousness and perception that it induces.
Reception and Criticism
The Acid Madness series received mixed reactions from the public and the critics. Some praised the artist’s originality and creativity, and admired his use of acid as a medium. They considered his paintings as a breakthrough in the contemporary art scene, and a reflection of the chaotic and colorful times we live in. Others criticized the artist’s choice of acid as a medium, and condemned his paintings as a glorification of drug use and violence. They argued that his paintings were harmful to the environment and the viewers, and that they lacked artistic merit and meaning.
Conclusion
Nguyen Duy Tri is a Vietnamese artist who created a series of psychedelic paintings using acid as a medium in 2023. His series, called “Acid Madness”, consists of 12 paintings that depict various scenes and objects with vibrant colors and distorted shapes. His paintings are controversial and provocative, and have generated a lot of debate and discussion in the art world and beyond.
FAQ
- Q: How did Nguyen Duy Tri create his paintings using acid?
A: He used a spray bottle to apply different types of acid on canvas, and then used a brush or a knife to manipulate the acid and create the desired effects.
- Q: How did Nguyen Duy Tri protect himself and his paintings from the acid?
A: He wore protective gloves, goggles, and a mask when working with acid, and he kept his paintings in a sealed and ventilated room. He also applied a special coating on his paintings to prevent them from corroding or fading over time.
- Q: How much did Nguyen Duy Tri sell his paintings for?
A: He sold his paintings for an average of $10,000 each, but some of them reached higher prices at auctions. The most expensive painting in the series, Always Sunshine, was sold for $25,000.
- Q: Where can I see Nguyen Duy Tri’s paintings in person?
A: You can see his paintings at the Saigon Art Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where they are currently on display until March 2024. You can also visit his website, www.nguyenduytri.com, where you can see his paintings and learn more about his work.
- Q: What is Nguyen Duy Tri working on now?
A: Nguyen Duy Tri is working on a new series of paintings, called “Acid Dreams”. These paintings are inspired by his dreams and nightmares, and feature more complex and surreal imagery. He plans to exhibit his new series in 2025.
