Do Thanh Lang

In Do Thanh Lang’s paintings there is a hidden force within their bright swathes of colours that intrigues and confuses. The performativity of his characters and heightened drama of the scenes act as a visual confidence trick, masking the dangers lying in wait beneath the superficial resin. The spectator takes the role of the dreamer, for like in dreams one is unsure how one arrived at this, or any particular instance. Navigating through the artist’s perplexing, surrealist tableaux, the spectator–dreamer is but a character equipped with scripts and storylines, though acting as witness rather than participant. As his frantic brushmarks flit between the crude layers of plastic and resin, Do Thanh Lang seems to mimic that hypnagogic state of mind where darkness turns to dreams. Approaching art practice with a rare instinct – visible through the craggy edges of his canvas, or the occasional insect fossilised by his resin. Do Thanh Lang is aptly positioned to extract humour from a dire situation. In all their hazy strangeness, his artworks are akin to pieces of a memory – a visual journal of altered consciousness.