CYCLO

In CYCLO, Vietnamese American artist, Mailinh Hồ invites us into a tender and layered exploration of memory, identity, and place. The exhibition, featuring soft oil paintings and vibrant watercolors, offers glimpses of the artist's past and present through snapshots of everyday life, deeply personal reflections, and imagined futures. The title, Cyclo (or xích lô), refers to the three-wheeled cycle rickshaws once commonly seen in the streets of Saigon. Phased out in the early 2000s, these vehicles now serve primarily as tourist attractions, nostalgic symbols of a bygone era. Hồ uses the cyclo as a poetic entry point, asking us to consider the stories we carry, the places we've left behind, and the loops we often find ourselves moving through, "like a dog chasing its tail," she writes, "we look behind and keep on running."

The paintings vary in tone and style, some loose and light, others quiet and contemplative, but each one comes from a moment that stuck with the artist. Many pieces are based on photographs: some taken in Indiana, others from Hồ's childhood in Florida, and others from travels to Vietnam or found in family albums. "Part of painting is reliving, but also letting go," she says. Even when the subject might appear ordinary, there's a kind of emotional weight behind it, something worth holding onto. She hopes viewers will feel that, too. "Maybe if they saw the photo, they'd say, 'huh.' But through my painting, I hope they'll say, 'ahhh.'"

There's a lovely honesty in how Hồ approaches her practice. She paints late into the night, when the world quiets down and she can focus. Her cat Qiqi is always nearby, often leaving behind a stray hair in the work. The paintings themselves don't all match; some are tighter, some more expressive. Rather than force consistency, Hồ embraces the differences. "I tend to compartmentalize different parts of my life, and that carries through in my art," she shares. "But I'm learning it's okay for things to collide." CYCLO reflects that: it's unified not by style, but by spirit.

What runs through every piece is a sense of movement, not just physical, but emotional. Hồ's story mirrors that journey: born and raised in Orlando, she pursued accounting before changing paths and moving to Indiana in 2017 to study painting at Herron School of Art & Design. That shift opened the door to community, creativity, and a life centered on making art. It's a reminder that change doesn't always happen all at once. Sometimes, it unfolds slowly—one image, one moment, one memory at a time.

Accompanying the exhibition is a carefully curated soundtrack with songs by Blood Orange and Brian Eno—ambient, reflective, and cinematic. It's the kind of music you might play while driving through your hometown years after leaving, or while sorting through a box of old photos you forgot you kept. Like the paintings themselves, the playlist invites viewers to pause, remember, and wonder: Where are you going, and where are you from? In CYCLO, there’s no single answer—just the beauty of asking.