Renewed Perspectives & Relative Realities (2022)
This year, Gallery 1265 has the honor to collaborate with with artists Shenwei Hu and Thea Vu-Nguyen to present two series of artworks in one single double feature exhibition.
Renewed Perspectives is a collection of art pieces that aim to capture the things Shen and Thea have begun to appreciate as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. The concept for this exhibit came to life as Shen rode her bike that she bought years back along the sidewalks of Cassandra Boulevard one month after the COVID-19 lockdown, and found that she learned to appreciate this bike more than she did when it was brand new as it became her respite from the challenges brought forth by this virus. For Thea, an encounter with a bunny during an escape to her backyard patio filled her with gratefulness for simple things. Not long after, they commenced a project with the goal of showcasing their community's resilience in the face of adversity through the lens of our their personal growth. Their hope is that through this exhibit, the audience will be inspired to reflect and focus on the good within each day, searching for the beauty and hope amidst the mundane and take to heart that happiness doesn't necessitate something extraordinary.
Relative Realities is a unified exhibition showcasing two different creative perspectives coming together through Shen and Thea’s solo bodies of work. One demonstrates a loyalty to a specific palette, depicting elements of naturalism through the imagery of content abstraction. The other depicts the energy inherent in music, travel and adventure with color abstraction coupled with the fullness of emotion implied by the content. In this same environment, both artists aspire to show the ordinary beauty that we normally overlook through their paintings and discover in their own ways the beauty that was once lost to us, letting these intertwined differences culminate in their shared exhibit.
Photo courtesy of the artists
Thea Vu-Nguyen (right) is a fourth year student specializing in Management and Marketing at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She developed a passion for art and design while attending the Regional Arts Program (RAP) at St. Elizabeth CHS. Her artistic style ranges from realism, impressionism to anime and manga. She now works towards a career that combines business with the artistic realm.
Shenwei (Shen) Hu (left) is a fourth year student studying Biology, Psychology and Statistics at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Art has always been an integral component of her identity and helped her overcome difficult times. Shen’s work is focused primarily on portraiture and landscapes using watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and graphite; she also ventures into songwriting.
Opened from October 25th to November 4th, 2022.
Please contact Gallery 1265 for potential exhibition archival.
Watch an exclusive interview with the artists here.
