Lê Xuân Hoàng
the artist
VNU University of Science, Vietnam
Lê Xuân Hoàng is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Vietnam, who works mainly in Modular Invariant Theory. His research focuses on using algebraic and combinatorial tools to analyze invariant rings of polynomial algebra modulo Frobenius power.
the artwork
Tuần hoàn
Vietnamese- Periodicity - 2025 - digital (coded, using Manim)
1 month - 3 days - 23 hours - 29 minutes
audio commentary
I am fascinated about Modular Invariant Theory, because for me, Modular Invariant Theory is a universe full of delicate entities, all just arise from a seemingly unimportant feature of finite fields: Periodicity of addition (i.e., having positive characteristics.) Therefore, I thought about using colorful objects stacking, levitating, and rotating in the blue sky to depict my view of the subject. I decided to put a frame with the name of the artwork, to make it feel like one is looking through a window. The stacks of rectangles represents the shape my beloved homeland – Vietnam.
Lê Xuân Hoàng
mathematics in Vietnamese culture
“Ô ăn quan” is a traditional Vietnamese game played by two players on a board drawn with a 5×2 grid (called “field squares”) and two semicircular “Mandarin” pits at each end. Players take turns picking up stones from one of their fields and sowing them one by one in either direction; capturing occurs when the last stone lands before an empty square, allowing the player to collect stones from the next square. The game ends when both Mandarin pits are emptied; the player with the most stones wins. The game is valued for developing strategic planning and strong calculation skills.