Anh Duong exhibition, Sonnabend Gallery, New York

Painting of woman lying down
In Anh Duong’s self-portraits, the New York-based artist appears in a variety of poses and carefully chosen outfits. For her Sonnabend Gallery exhibition, the French-born model, actress and portraitist has picked out 15 works. Pictured here is ’Louse Point’
(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

A diary may be the tried-and-tested outlet for venting one's troubles, but the written word is not for artist Anh Duong. 'If a single line could say everything, I would like to stop there,' she says. Instead, she turns to the canvas, and her own image becomes her prose. 'It's the best landscape I have found so far,' she explains. The result is an emotionally loaded collection of self-portraits that lets the viewer into her thoughts.

For her exhibition at New York's Sonnabend Gallery, the French-born model, actress and portraitist has picked out 15 works. Appearing in a variety of poses and carefully chosen outfits (or even naked at times), Duong leaves no psychological stone unturned, presenting herself with a blank expression that lets her personal narrative be told through her eyes.

'In my opinion a portrait is more than a mere fixation of the memory,' says Duong. 'I consider it as a dialectical game with the mirror image, which I analyse and deal with in a pictorial manner. Every work of an artist is a self-portrait. I am just more conscious of that process than most. The subject matter disappears through repetition.'

Duong's instinctual portrait-making process takes anything from a day, to up to a year to complete. 'I would sometimes have a dream and then wake up wanting to paint what I saw that night,' she reveals about this cathartic process. 'I would trust to follow it. The meaning of that image will come to me later once or during the painting is complete. Or sometimes years later.'

'This time you don't have to leave' by Anh Duong, 2010

’This time you don’t have to leave’ by Anh Duong, 2010

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'There is always champagne in the fridge' by Anh Duong, 2010

’There is always champagne in the fridge’ by Anh Duong, 2010

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'In the Solitude of the Boudoir' by Anh Duong, 2009

’In the Solitude of the Boudoir’ by Anh Duong, 2009

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'Tous Ces Hommes Qui Rentrent Et Qui Sortent' (All these men who come and go) by Anh Duong, 2011

’Tous Ces Hommes Qui Rentrent Et Qui Sortent’ (All these men who come and go) by Anh Duong, 2011

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'Trou-de-memoire' by Anh Duong, 2011

’Trou-de-memoire’ by Anh Duong, 2011

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'L'Enfance-Doree' by Anh Duong, 2011

’L’Enfance-Doree’ by Anh Duong, 2011

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'Looking for the ideal father' by Anh Duong, 2010

’Looking for the ideal father’ by Anh Duong, 2010

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

Schism of the heart

’Schism of the heart’ by Anh Duong, 2011

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

'Urgency of the Worst' by Anh Duong, 2009

’Urgency of the Worst’ by Anh Duong, 2009

(Image credit: Sonnabend Gallery, New York)

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