Born 1976, Hanoi, Vietnam
BFA from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 2005
Lê Thị Minh Tâm is among the defining female figures in the Hanoi art scene. She works with strong instinct and intuition. Her brushstrokes are uncalculated; her figures are spontaneous, with oversized mouths, ambiguous eyes, and a raw, expressive immediacy in the layers of paint, all executed through quick, instinctive processing.
Tâm’s palette often bursts with vivid blues and reds, hues that might appear jarring yet cohere within the internal logic of the composition. Her use of color avoids sentimentality; chosen without hesitation. This same sense of freedom allows her gestures to flow effortlessly, lending her large-scale canvases a sense of ease and vitality. Through her vigorous mark-making, a spiritual undercurrent becomes visible. Tâm often works across subjects such as the female body and spirituality, and is always in full command of her visual language. A deeply spiritual person, she visits churches, temples, shrines, and pagodas alike. For her, these sacred spaces belong to the same world of belief. There is no division between religions, only an inner calling, an instinctive duty she feels compelled to follow.