Mặt lạ (một tác phẩm trong series Mặt Lạ)

In a work from the "Mask" series, Nguyen Xuan Tiep organizes the facial imagery as a visual structure rather than a portrait of a specific individual. The face is elongated, positioned frontally, and simplified into lines that closely resemble symbols: wide-open eyes, a slender nose, a small mouth, and above it, a system of multi-layered curves radiating outwards like hair, a halo, or an energy field surrounding the figure.

The composition is highly symmetrical, but not entirely static. Continuous bands of pink, orange, blue, purple, and brown intertwine, repeat, and spread from the center, giving the image both the solemnity of a symbol and a sense of change and uncertainty. Geometric color blocks in the body contrast with the soft curves above, creating an interplay between order and instinct, between the human form and an undefined imaginary space.

Through its stylized imagery and unnatural colors, the work does not aim to depict a familiar face, but rather presents the viewer with an appearance that is both familiar and strange. "Strange Face" can therefore be interpreted as an exploration of the layers of identity hidden beneath the surface of humanity—where the face is no longer merely a sign of identification, but becomes a crossroads between memory, emotion, and unnamable inner states.