Outside of Hanoi: Hồ Hoài Linh
‘Can “Peace” be eaten?’ – 120 x 140 – Acrylic on canvas – 2014
&: How did you hear about the Open Exhibition and why did you decide to submit your work?
Hồ Hoài Linh: I found out about the 2nd Open Exhibition through an invitation from Claire Driscoll. I sent my work “Can Peace be eaten?” to her and got it exhibited.
&: Do you consider yourself an artist?
Hồ Hoài Linh: Artist is a somewhat too noble term for me! I’m simply an art-lover who freely expresses my feelings through colours.
&: When and where do you feel the most creative?
Hồ Hoài Linh: In my studio/ apartment. At nights I usually look for inspiration from pictures on the internet, and when I find a face that inspires me, I get to work right away depicting my feelings onto them. The eyes, the sadness or joy in them, everything I feel, I reflect through colours and brushstrokes. And so it goes on and on unceasingly as if it’s running in my blood!
&: What is art in your opinion?
Hồ Hoài Linh: There are plenty of ways to define art. To me art is the most elite of all emotions. It is a spiritual child and one has to cross every limitation, every barrier to give birth to it. Once it exits in the world you abandon every common pathway to lead it into a whole different direction. And all you need in return is for someone to just say “well done”. In art, there’s simply no limit.
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I’m a student at Duy Tan University, majoring in Architecture. I was born and raised in Đà Nẵng, where the mountains and the rivers touch the sea! A peaceful city with rich culture and little stress! An ideal place for art-lovers like myself.
