Who Is Một Quả Tắc?

I. Who Is Một Quả Tắc?

Một Quả Tắc is the artistic name of Lê Thị Quế Hương, born in 1996 in Bình Dương. She graduated with a major in Silk Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts and soon established her own artistic direction through this medium. Over nearly a decade of artistic practice, Quế Hương has found in silk a space to preserve her observations, memories, and emotions surrounding everyday life. Simple stories of people, plants, and familiar moments have gradually become the materials from which her artistic world is formed. It is also through this intimate way of seeing that a distinctive name has become closely associated with the artist's creative journey.

Photo source: Jimmy Art Devier

From a Simple Name to Một Quả Tắc

The name “Một Quả Tắc” comes from a simple way Quế Hương chose to call herself. In an interview with Saigoneer, she shared that the artist name was originally a “meaningless” name inspired by the tắc fruit – a small citrus fruit related to pomelo and orange. The image also reflects, to some extent, how she saw herself in the early years of her artistic journey: still young, “green,” and continuing to learn. A simple name thus became a distinctive identity associated with the artist and the stories she captures on silk.

Profile image from Một Quả Tắc's social media page

Artistic Milestones of Một Quả Tắc

2019: Participated in the “Nảy mầm” exhibition.
2020: Participated in the “Ký ức ngày xuân” exhibition.
2021: Participated in the “Chúng ta đang nghịch gì?” exhibition and received a Bronze Prize (shared).
2022: Participated in “Lụa 2022” and the 2022 Young Fine Arts Festival, where she also received an Encouragement Prize.
2023–2024: Continued participating in art exhibitions, maintaining her artistic practice and introducing silk paintings to the public.
2024 – “Xôn xao”: Presented her first solo exhibition, “Xôn xao” at Annam Gallery, featuring 15 works. This marked an important milestone as Một Quả Tắc presented her artistic world to the public in a focused exhibition for the first time.
2025 – “Nếu không vẽ, ta là ai | Paint, or else”: Participated in a group exhibition at Annam Gallery from 18 May–1 June 2025, alongside six other young artists. The exhibition brought together more than 50 works across various media and highlighted the creative journeys of artists who had previously collaborated with Annam Gallery.
2025 – “The Inner Spiral | Giữa tâm vạn vật”: Continued her participation in a group exhibition at New World Saigon Hotel from 24 July–7 August 2025. Một Quả Tắc was one of seven participating artists, presenting works exploring the inner world, memories, and imagination. The exhibition also raised funds to support education for children facing difficult circumstances.
2025 – “A ‘Second’ Gaze”: Participated in a group exhibition with Lâm Tú Trân, Lê Mai, and Yến Nguyễn at Annam Gallery, held from 4 October–2 November 2025. The exhibition focused on how female artists see, experience, and construct the world through their own perspectives and experiences.
2026 – “Hoài Phố Cảm Tác”: Participated in the “Hoài Phố Cảm Tác” Artist Residency at Anmira Hoi An in May 2026, alongside Phạm Thủy Tiên, Lâm Gia Huấn, and Phan Anh Thư. The programme immersed the artists in Hoi An's living environment, allowing them to observe, experience, and create from the local landscape, daily life, and culture. The works developed during the residency were presented in the “Hoài Phố Cảm Tác” exhibition at Anmira Hoi An in September 2026, with a further presentation expected at Annam Gallery in Ho Chi Minh City in October 2026.

II. The Artistic Language of Một Quả Tắc

Silk – A Medium Woven into Her Artistic Journey

Throughout her artistic journey, silk has become a deeply connected medium for Một Quả Tắc. Quế Hương has spent nearly a decade exploring the expressive possibilities of silk and watercolour. For her, each painting first resembles a diary page, preserving moments and experiences that have evoked emotions through images and colour.

Silk as an artistic medium

The delicate, soft nature of silk creates a distinctive surface for watercolour. Pigments seep into the individual fibres, producing subtle colour transitions and a characteristic sense of translucency. Quế Hương primarily uses watercolour, occasionally combining it with gouache and Chinese ink when needed. The process of completing a painting begins with sketching and detailing, followed by applying colour and treating the reverse side of the fabric according to the tonal qualities and atmosphere of each work.

Watercolour in the works of Một Quả Tắc

For Một Quả Tắc, the medium is therefore closely connected to the way she observes the world. Familiar images from everyday life are preserved through deliberate brushwork, a gentle palette, and meticulous handling.

From Familiar Moments to Visual Diary Pages

The artistic world of Một Quả Tắc is built from familiar elements: plants, flowers, animals, people, and everyday moments. Inspiration may begin with a self-portrait, people close to her, a moment from daily life, or a spontaneous idea that suddenly emerges.

The exhibition space displaying works by Một Quả Tắc

This way of observing gives each work by Một Quả Tắc the quality of a visual diary page. Quế Hương once shared on Annam Gallery: “Each painting, to me, is first and foremost like a diary page.” For her, things that evoke emotion at a particular moment are recorded in a painting and continue to retain their emotional value over time. From a moment that moves her, the artist leaves a trace through her brushwork, allowing the work to become a point of connection between the subject, the artist, and the viewer.

Thảo / Flora – Watercolour on silk

In “Thảo / Flora,” the presence of plants opens up a familiar direction of observation in Một Quả Tắc's practice. Nature enters the painting through watercolour on silk, handled with softness so that botanical forms become part of an emotional space. Through these natural forms, viewers can sense the artist's attentiveness to details that often surround her.

Lập xuân / Beginning of Spring – Watercolour on silk

While “Thảo / Flora” brings viewers closer to the world of plants, “Lập xuân / Beginning of Spring” offers another perception of nature through imagery and colours evocative of spring. The work was previously presented at her solo exhibition “Xôn xao” in September 2024. The exhibition featured 15 works, built around a poetic palette and meticulous brushwork to create a gentle and dreamlike atmosphere.

Vệ sĩ mèo / Bodyguard meo meo – Watercolour on silk

In “Vệ sĩ mèo / Bodyguard meo meo,” the animal world becomes a perspective through which Một Quả Tắc tells more intimate stories of everyday life. Cats appear frequently in her works; even the artist's living and studio spaces are closely connected with these small companions. Saigoneer once documented the presence of two cats in her creative space and works centred around their lives.

Artistic inspiration drawn from everyday life

Together, these three works – from plants and spring to cats – reveal a consistent thread in Một Quả Tắc's practice: finding artistic material in the things that are present in everyday life. Through watercolour on silk, these images are preserved in a gentle rhythm, with a sense of openness and a distinctly personal mark.

For Một Quả Tắc, painting begins with a moment that evokes emotion. From that moment, the brush records the image, colour preserves the mood, and the silk becomes a place where the story remains.

III. Một Quả Tắc and Her Inspiration from Hoi An

Living with Hoi An

In May 2026, Một Quả Tắc joined artists Phạm Thủy Tiên, Lâm Gia Huấn, and Phan Anh Thư in the “HOÀI PHỐ CẢM TÁC” Art Residency at Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts and Culture. The residency offered the artist an opportunity to live directly within Hoi An's environment, observe its rhythms, and seek out her own impressions as part of the creative process.

Một Quả Tắc at Anmira Hoi An

For Một Quả Tắc, Hoi An is experienced through an introspective lens. The days spent in residence became a period of slowing down, observing the landscape and everyday life, and taking in the distinctive atmosphere of the ancient town. Through these experiences, her impressions of Hoi An were gradually transformed into a visual language on silk.

Một Quả Tắc at Anmira Hoi An

Một Quả Tắc continued to choose silk as her primary medium throughout her creative journey in Hoi An, opening up an introspective emotional space where personal impressions intertwine with the nostalgic atmosphere of the ancient town.

From the Artist Residency to the “Hoài Phố Cảm Tác” Exhibition

Drawing from their experiences during the Art Residency, the artists continued developing their individual impressions of Hoi An into works presented in the “Hoài Phố Cảm Tác” exhibition. For Một Quả Tắc, this was an opportunity for her impressions of Hoi An to continue through the language of silk painting, alongside works by Phạm Thủy Tiên, Lâm Gia Huấn, and Phan Anh Thư, creating a multifaceted perspective on Hoài Phố.

“Hoài Phố Cảm Tác” Exhibition

Dates: 12–30 September 2026
Venue: LAM Kitchen, Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture
Address: 276 Cửa Đại, Hội An Đông Ward, Đà Nẵng
Participating artists: Phạm Thủy Tiên, Một Quả Tắc, Lâm Gia Huấn, Phan Anh Thư
About the exhibition: A presentation of works shaped by the four artists' individual perspectives and impressions of Hoi An.
Admission: Free entry.

FAQ

1. Who is Một Quả Tắc?

Một Quả Tắc is the artistic name of Lê Thị Quế Hương, born in 1996 in Bình Dương. She graduated with a major in Silk Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts and currently works as an independent silk painter in Ho Chi Minh City.

2. Why does Lê Thị Quế Hương use the artist name “Một Quả Tắc”?

“Một Quả Tắc” is how Quế Hương introduces herself on her artistic journey: a small presence that is still “green” and continues to learn and experience. The artist name also originates from the tắc fruit, a small citrus fruit.

3. What medium does Một Quả Tắc usually work with?

Silk is the medium that has remained central to Một Quả Tắc's artistic practice. She primarily works with watercolour on silk, sometimes incorporating gouache or Chinese ink depending on the requirements of each work.

4. What subjects does Một Quả Tắc usually draw inspiration from?

Her works often begin with familiar elements of everyday life, including people, plants, animals, and ordinary moments. Through watercolour on silk, personal observations and emotions are transformed into intimate visual records with a distinct personal character.

5. When does the “Hoài Phố Cảm Tác” exhibition take place at Anmira Hoi An?

The exhibition takes place from 12–30 September 2026 at LAM Kitchen, Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture, located at 276 Cửa Đại, Hội An Đông Ward, Đà Nẵng.

6. What is the meaning behind the transformation under the name Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture?

Entering a new chapter under an independent management model, the brand officially takes the name Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture. This evolution is rooted in a strong belief that art is woven into every corner of life – present in the way we perceive the world around us, converse with one another, or simply watch light fall across a wall. The new name reflects a heartfelt commitment to creating gentle dimensions of art and opening up countless opportunities to continue telling inspiring cultural stories.

Contact Information:

Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture

Address: 276 Cửa Đại Street, Đà Nẵng City, Vietnam

Tel: +84 235 3923 999

Email: reservations@anmiraresort.com

Website: https://anmiraresort.com/

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