Phung Thanh Ha - Benjamin Schiller: One exhibition, two minds

The exhibition “Journey” by the artist couple Phung Thanh Ha - Benjamin Schiller, takes place from now until October 27, at the Schiller River Club space (No. 28, Street No. 10, Hiep Binh Ward, HCMC).

Works on display in the exhibition

Works on display in the exhibition

Commenting on the exhibition, artist Tran Luan Tin shared: “Phung Thanh Ha and his wife have never studied painting, they are free in their creations, whether it is difficult or easy is not a problem. More importantly, it is the pure inspiration that is conveyed to the audience. They are not the same but very harmonious”. He emphasized that style is not something to be found on the outside, but comes from one's temperament and listening to oneself.

Painter couple Phung Thanh Ha - Benjamin Schiller

Benjamin Schiller (commonly known as Beni) came to Vietnam in 2013 and before meeting Phung Thanh Ha, he had never painted. The intimacy, the artistic atmosphere and the Asian inspiration opened up his creative inner strength. For just over two years, Beni has been painting continuously.

“I paint not to tell stories, but to express what cannot be said in words. Each brushstroke is a heartbeat, each color a thought. I am always looking for the moment where intuition meets discipline, where chaos finds order,” he shared.

Phung Thanh Ha also started painting more than two years ago, after attending Ms. Nihato Hang Nguyen's transformational painting class in the "Lighting Vietnam" program in Nam Cat Tien. For her, painting is not about creating a work, but a state. She often starts with silence, closing her eyes to listen to her breath, placing her hands on the canvas as if listening to a living body. Having worked in the fashion industry for nearly 20 years, practicing yoga, meditation and therapy methods, she sees painting as a way to release emotions and transform energy.

If Phung Thanh Ha's paintings are imbued with Eastern mystery, Benjamin Schiller's paintings reflect Western logic and rigorous thinking. He seeks certainty in the vague, while she lets her inner self speak for itself. Two people - two opposing consciousnesses: one emotional, one rational; one relaxed, one assertive. But it is this opposition that creates harmony.

In the paintings, viewers clearly see the harmony between East and West, male and female, inner and outer world. Differences are not erased but go together, dialogue, and complement each other. It is in this encounter that abstract painting emerges not only as a play of colors but also as a spiritual and psychological journey.

Works on display in the exhibition

For Phung Thanh Ha, painting is letting go; for Benjamin Schiller, painting is discipline. In that encounter, they prove that art can become a bridge between differences, turning opposition into dialogue, turning cracks into places where light can penetrate to heal. That is also the biggest message of this exhibition - a reminder that we do not need to be the same to get along, we just need to dare to walk together in our differences.

LIBRA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/phung-thanh-ha-benjamin-schiller-mot-trien-lam-hai-tam-thuc-post815404.html