BEAUTY OF THE DISCARD

For Nguyễn Quốc Dân,  trash is not waste—it is potential. He calls his approach Anti-Cubism, a personal visual exploration developed through his tactile work with colorful electrical wires, industrial debris, and nontraditional geometries.

To him, regenerative art begins with an emotional connection to waste. Each discarded object holds its own properties, life span, and story—making trash fertile ground for aesthetic, ecological, and existential rebirth. Through this exhibition, Dân declares the value of waste in contemporary life and calls for a shift in how we think, act, and care for the world around us.

Dân believes there is a soul in trash—a quiet warmth and presence waiting to be seen and honored. The spirit of Materia Renata reaches beyond materials—it invites a renewal of perception, intention, and shared responsibility.

Dân’s art becomes more than visual expression; it becomes a call to reshape how we see, act, and coexist in a world burdened by excess.—it invites a renewal of perception, intention, and shared responsibility. Dân’s art becomes more than visual expression; it becomes a call to reshape how we see, act, and coexist in a world burdened by excess.

Dân attributes the success of Materia Renata to the many friends and family members who played an active role in creating the artworks. What makes this exhibition truly remarkable is the collaborative foundation it rests upon—built by those who have stood beside him for decades, contributing not only their labor but their stories and spirit.

This process of co-creation offered his collaborators a rare opportunity to express their own lived experiences. Through Dân’s artistic vision, their voices are heard and honored, their perspectives embedded within the textures of the exhibition. It is this openness—this weaving of community into the very fabric of the work—that defines Dân’s ethos: one of empathy, shared authorship, and deep-rooted care.