NOCTURNE

“Nocturne” 2024 is an exhibition marking half a century of painting by Dang Duong Bang. It is also his first exhibition in his hometown of Hanoi after nearly four decades of living and working in Europe.
Dang Duong Bang (1951) is a professor of nanotechnology in food safety at Polytechnic University, Denmark. However, he is better known to the public and European art lovers as a painter, "a person who skillfully blends tradition and modernity in contemporary Vietnamese fine arts" (Professor. Dr. John Kleinen, Vietnamese Art History researcher, Department of History, University of Amsterdam).
Living and working in Leiden (Netherlands) since 1990 and residing in Copenhagen (Denmark) since 1999, Dang Duong Bang has had 40 solo exhibitions in Copenhagen, Paris, Amsterdam, Leiden, London, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne... More than 3,000 works have been created and belong to private collections in Denmark, England, France, Netherlands, Russia, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, and the United States.. Many of his works are in the collections of famous people such as Elton John or displayed in public spaces at the Gates Foundation (New York), Copenhagen University (Denmark), Odense University (Denmark), Den Danske Bank (Denmark), BRK Lyngby Art Foundation (Denmark)... In 2019, his first solo exhibition in Vietnam was held in the City of Ho Chi Minh - "Bến Mơ" (Destination of Dreams) with a “sold-out” record of 55 works in 4 weeks of exhibition.

Talking about Nocturne (Music of the night—2024), Dang Duong Bang shared, "I started my painting career in 1974 as a member of the Hanoi Fine Arts Association. After exactly 50 years, Nocturne is my gratitude to Hanoi, my beloved homeland, the image that always reigns in my heart, dreams, and every stroke during sleepless nights."
Dang Duong Bang selected 37 works at "Nocturne" 2024 from 2020-2024 to inspire magical night music. The music could be inspired by the quiet sounds of the moonlit night, allowing us to hear dragonflies flying. It could be a song that takes us back to childhood or a love song to remember someone.

The exhibition also launched a memoir about Dang Duong Bang's life and art. “Thương Nhớ 13” a memoir (Vietnamese—English) presented in art-book format, encapsulates the portrait of the gallant artist of old Hanoi. A person who has lived in exile for nearly half his life, he still maintains 12 seasons to remember and love Hanoi and the remaining season to explore and enrich his love for art and life.

“Nocturne” 2024 is jointly organized by Ginger Gallery, the artist's representative, and Gate Gate Gallery, the organizer. The exhibition will occur from October 24 to November 10, 2024, at Gate Gate Gallery, 55 Van Mieu, Dong Da, Hanoi.