Khac Cuong Le is a Vietnamese painter whose expressive figurative works act as an adventure into the unknown in which he explores varying levels and styles of abstraction. Coming from a realist background, Le found himself losing interest in representing things as they were, and instead decided to pivot his practice into expressionism and abstraction as a means of both creating new challenges for himself as well as striving for the greater freedom of expression that can be found in abstract work.

Inspired by 19 th and 20 th century masters, Le’s works take cues from various movements including expressionism and cubism, and have a distinctly 20 th century European quality to them, while still asserting their own freshness and distinct style. The subtlety of color and nuanced treatment of the surface allows Le’s works to display the careful and meticulous thought and care that inevitably goes into each painting. Further, through the depiction of the figures themselves and the composition of the spaces they inhabit, Le is able to evoke hauntingly meditative and tranquil feelings that almost feel like gazing through a window to a world of the past.