acrylic on latex (resin backing), pumice medium, painted wooden stretcherHarlesden High Street
Description
Human-crafted. AI-refined.
This striking contemporary artwork features a dynamic composition of bold colors and gestural brushstrokes. The canvas is dominated by a swirling, abstract figure in shades of red and orange, hinting at a sense of energy and movement. The overall visual effect is one of raw, expressive power, with the artist employing a unique blend of figurative and abstract elements. While the subject matter remains ambiguous, the work appears to convey a sense of emotional intensity and primal, elemental forces. The artist's bold, expressionistic technique and the work's striking visual impact suggest an intention to evoke a visceral, emotive response from the viewer. ...
KV Duong examines Vietnamese queer identity, migration, and cultural assimilation through personal and family histories. His early work with latex highlights the material’s link to French colonial rubber plantations in Vietnam, while also embracing its sensual and symbolic associations with queer experience. Doors and portals frequently appear as motifs, representing both opportunity and the constraints imposed by societal and colonial norms, particularly in relation to LGBTQ+ histories. Duong’s practice is marked by a commitment to continually push technical and conceptual boundaries. As his experience deepens, his choices of materials and methods grow more intricate, requiring extensive research, planning, and collaboration with peers and technicians. Although his work remains centered on Vietnamese queer identity, collaborations have broadened its focus, making his artistic voice more universal. His influences shift depending on the project. Currently working with latex, Duong looks to pioneers like Eva Hesse and Heidi Bucher. He admires Anselm Kiefer for his monumental scale and reflective approach. Movements like Fluxus, Gutai, and Viennese Action inspire him for their use of the body as a creative tool and metaphor, with Tibor Hajas particularly influencing his first live body painting. Abstract expressionists Pollock and De Kooning shape his aesthetic sense, while postcolonial and poststructuralist thinkers—such as Homi Bhabha, Salman Rushdie, Michel Foucault, and Ocean Vuong—inform his intellectual framework. ...
Harlesden High Street was founded with the mission of facilitating access between experimental/outsider artists and the traditional gallery system. Working across several spaces in London, the gallery exhibits contemporary art by both local and international artists with a focus on exhibiting work by people of colour. In addition to its gallery programme, Harlesden High Street also hosts a cultural outreach programme with an aim to engage audiences in un-gentrified neighborhoods, through workshops, talks and artist initiatives. In 2023, the gallery also co-founded Minor Attractions, an inclusive micro-fair that gives access to both London and international galleries during Frieze week. ...
