CUC Gallery proudly presents the solo exhibition of artist Ly Tran Quynh Giang (b.1978) – Where they turn to. Giang is among very few of prominent female contemporary artists of Vietnam that has been diligently working over the years. An artist whose representations of human and animal figures exude a range of emotions and sensations: sadness, melancholy, ennui, uncertainty, intimacy, intensity and eroticism, Giang will present a collection of new oil on canvas works and for the first time, an intimate installation.

Where they turn to pushes zoomorphic transformation and symbolism further. At one point in the previous series, the owl was predominant because of the aura of its austerity and imminent threat. In this new series, the owl is less prominent and the rabbit plays a more significant key role. Giang notes that whereas earlier works contained more of herself, these paintings are less personal and more open to interpretation. Rabbits symbolize innocence, lack of protection, weakness, fragility, loneliness and helplessness, suggesting an invitation to interpretation on the part of the viewer. Perhaps, for Giang, animals provide a stronger, more open-ended means of understanding the human psyche. In her paintings, they are neither merely decorative nor symbolic. They would seem to provide a clearer window into altered states of emotions or allegories for human subjectivity.