Phuong Quoc Tri
Phuong Quoc Tri was born in 1976 in central Vietnam in the small town of Phan Rang. He left home at the age of 12 to settle in Saigon where he struggled to earn a living and continue his education. Tri's father and brother were self-taught artists and Tri shared their passion for expressing human emotion on a canvas and through sculptural works. He is one of the most talented self-taught young artists in Vietnam and is a significant talent to watch.

Tri's works are almost exclusively figurative. His main themes include women of the minority tribes, nudes and women in traditional ao dai dresses. Each of his characters tells a story; some of longing, some of hardship, some of a destiny unknown. Tri's works are like classical music - we are forced to think, reflect and experience to come to our own conclusions. His introverted characters appear to be deep in thought; their lives rich with joy and sorrow. Our eyes are drawn to the figures and we can not help but to search for a deeper understanding of what they are thinking; what can we learn from them?

In 2007, Tri was featured in his first very successful solo exhibition "Sympathetic" and his works are currently being shown in galleries in Hanoi, London and Hong Kong.