FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lanchi Vo, (408)-223-8419 or (408)-931-5304

"THE UNKNOWN CITIZEN": A PAINTER'S TRIBUTE TO W. H. AUDEN
June 28 - August 30, 2008
Reception: Saturday, June 28, 2008 6 - 9 PM

SANTA MONICA, June 4th, 2008 -- Terra Galleria is pleased to present "The Unknown Citizen", an exhibition of works by Los Angeles-based artist Dai Truong. This is also the inaugural exhibit of our new gallery at Bergamot Station. The exhibit will run from June 28 through August 30. There will be an Artist reception in conjunction with the gallery Grand Opening Gala on Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 6 to 9PM. All are welcome.

Truong has been grappling with the issue of constraint and conflict in our daily life, both external and internal, both spiritual and secular, both personal and universal. The human form is the recurrent motif in Truong's work, from his earlier surreal figurative style to his increasingly abstract expressionistic painting. Inspired by peeling plaster of dilapidated urban ghetto, Truong often uses washes of paints over his human visages to create the self-obscuring, confining effect. "The Unknown Citizen" is a tribute to W. H. Auden's verse. Written in 1939, the piece has become more and more relevant in today's mechanizing society. This series of paintings express the conflict between social constraints and the fulfillment of the human spirit.

"I have made a lot of sacrifices in my life by trying to be unattached and unencumbered to be an artist, to find my own voice. My art is my lasting legacy; it is my soul... Through the anguish I can see other realities to paint and give voice to the anonymous suffering and internal strife. Human spirit, triumph and other emotions come through as well. My authenticity and humanity come through my own experience and my daily encounters. I feel the tenderness which I can identify with enough to express through my art," Truong said.

Dai Truong received a Bachelor of Arts from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1980. Truong was born in Vietnam and grew up during the war. He had traveled the world in his early years as a son of a diplomat. His artistic inclination was evident by the age of five. He had utilized his creative realm as a stable refuge from his constantly changing environment and the ultimate upheaval of many Vietnamese lives by the change of regime in 1975. Truong's work has appeared in many galleries and institutions in the US. "The Unknown Citizen" will be his 21st solo exhibition.

For information and photographs: Lanchi Vo, (408)-223-8419 or (408)-931-5304