'Becoming the Forest' : Hoa Nguyen
'Becoming the Forest' : Hoa Nguyen
12 Sep 2026 – 25 Oct 2026
Berninneit Art Gallery is proud to present Becoming the Forest, a solo exhibition by artist Hoa Nguyen, opening with a celebration on Saturday 12 September 2026 from 3pm.
The exhibition features three new large-scale drawings spanning up to eight meters long. Taking several months to complete, the works celebrate the forests of Bass Coast reflecting the artist’s deep love and reverence for the forest. Created with Indian ink on long rolls of archival paper, this approach to drawing combines Hoa’s contemporary process and materials while referencing ancient traditions of scroll paintings.
Hoa Nguyen is an Australian interdisciplinary artist, activist and ecofeminist with Vietnamese heritage. She describes
“the forest is a place where Mother Nature manifests her boundless embrace, teeming with life. It has been a sanctuary of healing for me amidst the ups and downs of human existence. Through ten years of drawing the forests, I have come to grasp the philosophy of the "Middle Way", a path of balance between eternal and temporary existence. The forest teaches a path free from extremism and unconstrained by anything that would stifle the innate human quest for freedom and happiness.”
Through witnessing the grand scale and intricate detail of these works, visitors are invited to share in the teachings of the forest to live freely and happily in the present moment. Hoa says,
“My gratitude toward the forest reflects a pure appreciation for life on Earth and a happiness found in the here and now.”
Alongside the exhibition, a special Living Earth Gathering will be presented in partnership with Phillip Island Conservation Society on Saturday 3 October 2026.
During her Visiting Artist Residency at Berninneit Art Studio in February 2026, Hoa connected with members of Phillip Island Conservation Society through a shared passion for the Western Port Woodlands and commitment to environmental advocacy for all ecosystems. With their guidance Hoa has explored and created portraits of Rhyll Inlet and Western Port Woodlands.
The Living Earth Gathering will begin at 2:30pm with a Welcome to Country and colourful procession into the gallery featuring local artist Camille Monet and the Cowes Primary School Choir, followed by a Deep Listening Circle surrounded by Hoa’s expansive forest drawings.
Hoa Nguyen studied art at Hanoi Fine Arts University and in St Petersburg at the Repin Institute of Arts, before emigrating to Australia where she has completed a Master of Contemporary Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Hoa was founder and leader of ‘HanoiLink’, an art collective in Vietnam from 2006-2012.
Image: Hoa Nguyen, The Mangrove 1 (Rhyll Inlet), 2026, Indian Ink, Japanese musou black ink, red inked-pen on Archival paper, 500 x 101.5cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
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