America Now: CAT's declaration of dream liberation

Painter CAT (whose real name is Dao Anh Tho) has officially introduced to the public the painting collection entitled America Now showing 22 ballpoint pen paintings and the first large-scale lacquer painting of this series, measuring 3.6m by 4.8m, weighing nearly 250kg entitled Who got louder speaker?

Sketches by paintball pen of CAT. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

The painting was created in the Bushwick immigrant area in New York, when around her was a music festival, radio speakers from four sides competing to play all day and night.

The America Now series started in May 2023, when she returned to the US after 11 years. CAT studied abroad in the US for nearly 5 years and loves this country very much - the country of freedom, equality, and opportunities. America now has many changes, which have a great impact on CAT, giving her a huge source of energy to create works filled with a spirit of freedom, generosity, excitement, and colorfulness.

CAT dreamed of making large-scale lacquer works so that she could be creative and expend all her creativity and force on the large canvas. 

With large scale, the painting process requires an entire different approaches and techniques.

CAT and the painting Who got louder speaker? which weighs 250kg. Photo: Le Lai/The Hanoi Times

In the America Now series of paintings, she derived some influences from US abstract artist Jackson Pollock. By pouring paint on her canvas in a free and musical way, the painting exudes a powerful energy of freedom and movement.

“This large painting took me over three months to complete and this is my first step in accomplishing my America Now’s dream which includes 22 large-scale works and a unique architectural and sculpture art space to preserve these works,” she said.

CAT also inaugurated MetaReverse Art Gallery, D1-24 Dao Hinh Street, Long Bien District, Hanoi. The exhibition America Now will last until June 21 at MetaReverse Art Gallery.