Nguyen Tuan Dai (b. 1997, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) is a self-taught artist currently based in Hoi An.

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Raised in District 9 within a working-class community shaped by generations of migrant families from northern Vietnam, Dai grew up in an environment where labour defined everyday life. As the eldest son, he took on many jobs from an early age to help the women around him, his mother, grandmother, and aunts. Their everyday acts of care, responsibility, and perseverance shaped his sensitivity to people and the emotional textures of ordinary life.

 

Long before he was considered a painter, Dai had already become an observer. Years spent working in diverse environments allowed him to witness the rhythms of everyday life and the complexity of human relationships. These experiences became an education in themselves, shaping the way he understands people and the world. Drawing came later, not as the beginning of that sensitivity, but as the language through which it could finally be expressed. His practice is rooted in the belief that painting can create a dialogue between inner experience and the outside world, transforming personal observation into shared reflection.