Tran Van Thao’s painting series ‘Blue sky and fairy tales’ are joyful celebrations of life. With their intuitive marks and colorful palette, the works evoke childhood fancy. Like in Thao’s previous work, crosses and numbers are once again presented as abstract markers, perhaps signifying a human presence. Thao paints, scrapes, constructs, scratches; he challenges the notion of the flat picture plane. Canvas is used not only as a painting support, but also as a medium (cut and folded) that engages with the paint. There is joy in this new work, and it is probably a by-product of the artist’s relationship with his young son. The paintings are like the endless afternoons of early childhood, filled with sunlight and sleepy excitement. Thao seems to have discovered an eternal present and his works burst forth with life. (Quynh Pham)