As part of the programmes celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Việt Nam, The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Việt Nam is hosting the Vietnamese natural lacquer painting exhibition Moon by Japanese artist Saeko Ando.

A painting from the "Moon" exhibition using traditional Vietnamese lacquer-craft technique. — Photo courtesy of The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Việt Nam

All the artwork displayed depict the moon in various phases, seasons, weather, time of day and shades of colour, alongside the waka poems that Saeko chose for them.

She hopes her paintings will etch beautiful verses in people’s hearts and awaken their precious memories or conjure up new sensations.

Saeko Ando is a Japanese artist and art researcher, currently living in Hội An City, Quảng Nam.

After graduating from renowned Waseda University, Saeko Ando came to Việt Nam in 1995 and studied Việt Nam’s ancient craft of using sơn ta - a natural Vietnamese lacquer under the guidance of artist Trịnh Tuấn, lacquer master Doãn Chí Trung, and lacquer artisan Lâm Hữu Chính.

In a nearly three-decades-long career, Saeko has gained international recognition as a contemporary artist, combining traditional Vietnamese lacquer-craft painting techniques learned from past generations of lacquer masters with original methods she developed through decades of experimentation.

Zen philosophy, devotion to nature, and the influence of Japanese aesthetics are all evident in Saeko’s works.

Saeko is also known as a researcher in the field of natural lacquer and shares her findings via lectures, conventions, and symposia in the international arena. 

The exhibition is open free to the public from September 10 to October 1 at The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Việt Nam, 27 Quang Trung, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội. — VNS