Dinh Quan

Dinh Quan was born in 1964 in Haiphong and graduated from the Hanoi Fine Arts College in 1990. He primarily paints delicate female figures in a surrealistic style - sometimes sensual, sometimes deconstructed.

Quan’s lacquer painting technique differs from other artists who continue to use a more traditional method. Like others, he creates his pieces by using the sap extracted from the lacquer tree (Rhus vernicifera). Most artists apply as many as twenty layers of lacquer over various pigments and other components such as eggshell, mother of pearl, and gold, silver and bronze leaf. Each layer must be sanded and washed before the next layer is applied. Quan starts by coating his board in layers of clay and cloth. He then mixes the lacquer with a variety of pigments and solvents as well as other substances such as gold, silver and epoxy to achieve a distinctive surface texture and to give his paintings a multi-dimensional feeling. The result is a durable and glossy surface.

His work is widely exhibited and collected and is featured in the Singapore Art Museum, Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia.