River Luong explores the intersection of identity, femininity, and emotional duality through the singular, opulent form of the peony flower. Each painting features a woman whose face is partially or entirely obscured by a bloom, an intentional act that invites the viewer to question what is being hidden, what is being revealed, and what lies in between.

Luong is fascinated by the peony’s layered symbolism across cultures; a flower revered for its beauty, but also for its complexity. In Vietnamese and East Asian art, the peony often symbolizes prosperity, honor, and feminine strength.

By merging hyperrealistic portraiture with surreal, oversized peonies, Luong creates figures who are at once vulnerable and powerful, figures who exist within a suspended state of transformation. The women in these works are not meant to be passive muses; instead, the floral veil serves as an extension of their inner world, embodying both concealment and self-expression. The bloom becomes a mask, a shield, a crown.
 

In this series, River Luong offers a meditation on identity not as something fixed, but as something constantly unfolding, layer by layer, petal by petal.