Sam Tho Duong's works bear witness to one of his main sources of inspiration: nature and its rich variety of forms. Delicate, individually strung freshwater rice grain beads are reminiscent of dew, raindrops, or frozen crystals on branches and twigs. With his flowers made from yogurt bottles, Duong wants to emphasize how seemingly inconspicuous plants can suddenly blossom in a variety of shapes and colors. However, their time is short-lived; they are transient—Sam Tho Duong, on the other hand, treats them with permanence. With the humble material of yogurt bottles, he refers to value attributions and the color symbolism of purity and brightness of white.
Born in Vietnam in 1969, the artist trained as a goldsmith in Pforzheim at the vocational school, the vocational college for design, jewelry, and equipment, and at the Wellendorff company. He completed his subsequent studies at the University of Design in 2002 with a diploma and has been working as a freelancer for 13 years. He has exhibited in numerous countries and his works are represented in many international collections. His work has also received several awards, including the Herbert Hofmann Prize in 2009, the Baden-Württemberg State Prize in 2012, and the Friedrich Becker Prize in 2014. In 2015, he was appointed the 6th Hanau City Goldsmith.