The exhibition brings together artists working across diverse locations and artistic backgrounds, including Đỗ Đình Miền from Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyễn Đình Hồ from Cần Thơ, Nguyễn Thị Tú Quyên from Thailand, and four female artists from Gia Lai: Nguyễn Nguyên Bút, Lê Nguyễn Thảo My, Lê Thị Thanh and Phan Thị Thúy Phượng.
Featuring works created in lacquer, acrylic and mixed media, the exhibition aims to create a shared artistic space where individual stories, experiences and creative perspectives intersect. The collection reflects landscapes, memories, personal journeys and moments of introspection that have shaped each artist’s work.
The two male artists contribute paintings characterized by expansive perspectives and broad landscapes. Đỗ Đình Miền presents series including Golden Season and Central Sunlight, while Nguyễn Đình Hồ showcases works such as A Glimpse of the Central Highlands and Land of the Sea. Their paintings depict sweeping natural settings while emphasizing carefully selected details that reinforce each work’s central theme.
“My uniqueness probably lies in how I view nature: a tree is not just a tree, and a ray of sunlight is more than just light,” Đỗ Đình Miền said. “I don’t try to record nature exactly as I see it, but rather to capture its breath, the moment it moves me.”
The female artists approach storytelling through more intimate subjects and closer perspectives.
For Nguyễn Nguyên Bút, painting serves as a dialogue between personal emotions and the surrounding world. Her contributions include works such as By the Red Window and Silent Moment, alongside series including Springtime and Highland Whispers.
Lê Nguyễn Thảo My focuses on themes of feminine beauty and romantic love, using bright and stylized brushwork in paintings such as Simple Things, Spring Confession and Unexpected Kiss.
Lê Thị Thanh explores inner reflection and emotional stillness through works including Serenity, Return and Melt into Dreams. She said her paintings seek to capture the experience of observing the world before returning to one’s authentic self through contemplation.
Visitors will also encounter themes of nostalgia and childhood through Nguyễn Thị Tú Quyên’s Childhood Memories series. Born and raised in the former Kon Tum province, now Quảng Ngãi, Tú Quyên later moved to Thailand after earning a master’s degree in Visual Arts from Mahasarakham University.
Her paintings depict traditional childhood games and cultural memories, evoking scenes of lion dancing, paper boat racing and hide-and-seek. Tú Quyên said she hopes children can experience joy beyond digital devices through moments spent outdoors and in community spaces.
The exhibition also highlights the unconventional artistic journey of Phan Thị Thúy Phượng, the least experienced participant in terms of years spent painting. Formerly employed in the banking sector, she left her career after discovering a passion for mountain climbing and art.
“If climbing mountains is about putting yourself into space, then painting is about bringing emotional space deep into your mind”, Thúy Phượng said. “Art, like standing before a steep slope, requires courage to begin and patience to reach the end”.
Her works, including Kon Klor - March of Memories, Sounds of the Red Land and Afternoon by the Lake, focus largely on the Central Highlands and reflect her evolving artistic path.
Through 70 paintings and seven distinct voices, “Private Skies” offers a collective celebration of artistic exchange, personal expression and creative inspiration.
