Le Brothers

Thanh Le Ngoc and Hai Le Duc (Le Brothers), born in 1975 in the Quang Binh Province, were first noticed as the artists of Vietnamese lacquer painting of war topics. In 2000 both graduated from the Hue College of Arts where Le Ngoc Thanh studied lacquer painting and Le Duc Hai oil painting.

After painting, the artists started creating performances and video works highlighting the metaphor of similarity. Many of their works speak of the issue of Southern and Northern Vietnam and other places that were or are divided. The Le Brothers are known for their unique approach to history, identity and the interpretation of the past in the present. 

Perhaps one of the rare pairs of twins sharing a single artist identity in the art world not only in Vietnam but globally. As twin brothers, they have a special biological and psychological connection, forming an individual identity in life and art that is unique. They paint together, sculpt together, and perform with both of their bodies. Since birth, they have never been separated in creation or in life, sharing meals, sleeping, working, and thinking together, accompanying each other on distant journeys, and sharing thoughts about the future. Their creativity thus forms a very unique, consistent, and unrepeatable style, recognized in the cultural and artistic landscape both domestically and internationally for nearly 20 years.

With nature, Lê Brothers pursue a different working and creative direction, recognizing and dialoguing with an entity of present life, and transcending the obsessions, images, and stories of the past and history in their previous artistic practices.

Exhibitions

Le Brothers have exhibited and performed nationally and internationally, including, The return project in Vietnam and Germany (2024), The B3 biennale in Frankfurt (2023), The Nord gallerie in Berlin (2018), Vietnam Eye in START at Saatchi Gallery in London (2017)  The Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok (2016), Gwangju Museum of Art (2016), Kumamoto Contemporary Art Museum in Japan (2015),The Live Performance Biennale 2015 in Canada, Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2015), Queens Museum (2015), the Croatian Association of Visual Artists in Zagreb (2015), Iran CP Biennale (2014), FreeS Art Space in Taipei, Taiwan (2014), Singapore Biennale (2013), Selected projects include ‘The Bridge II’, performance at DMZ Gang Hwa, Korea (2012),‘Before ‘86’, Cheongju Complex Cultural Center, Korea (2012), ‘Communicate with the times’, Saigon Open City, Vietnam (2006), ‘Window to Asian”Vietnam (2001)

Awards

Their works are in numerous national and international private and museums collections, including the Singapore Contemporary Art, Museum Gwangju Museum of Art and The Jim Thompson Art Center , Hue Fine Arts Museum

Residency Program

The Le Brothers also have been connecting artists across the world through Vietnam’s first artists-in-residence program, the New Space Arts Foundation, which they launched in April 2008, from a gallery they founded in 2000.