Đào Anh Thơ at her exhibition opening. VNS Photo Nguyễn Bình

Đào Anh Thơ worked in accounting and business. She debuted her first solo exhibition recently in Hà Nội. She was born to an artistically gifted family. Her mother, Bùi Mai Hiên, is a celebrated sơn mài (lacquer) artist, and her father, Đào Anh Khánh, is a prominent contemporary performer in Việt Nam.

Art was a recurring theme in her life, though she had never considered becoming an artist herself.

Việt Nam News reporter Nguyễn Bình chats with Thơ about her artistic journey, commenced with a life-altering event just before her 32nd birthday.

Could you explain the name of the exhibition MetaReverse – Rebirth?

A journey has begun for me in all senses of the word - a total transformative journey that saw the death of the old me and the birth of an artist. I felt intensely alive.

This exhibition is my debut, marking my first chapter since I was reborn a completely different person.

MetaReverse stands in stark contrast to the concept of the metaverse, representing boundless creativity where the artist becomes a vessel for all-encompassing creativity. This creativity integrates the artist's essence with the universe, firmly anchored in the values of truth, goodness and beauty for humanity.

The name MetaReverse is also defined by me as a new artistic language using creative energy to pull people back to the real world and away from the virtual world.

Why did you choose sơn mài (lacquer) material to debut your paintings?

My mother is a very talented lacquer artist. I have loved the texture and depth of the material since I was a child. When I decided to become an artist, I naturally gravitated towards lacquer paintings.

You studied and worked in the finance sector and had never thought becoming an artist. Did you surprise yourself with this decision?

The more I reflect and experience, the more I clearly understand my initial instinctual belief, and it is through this shift in perspective that my life has changed and opened a new chapter.

Every day I wake up, I am passionate about my work, living in the holy peace, surrounded by the love of family and friends, and seeing my child happy and smiling every day.

What has brought about this miraculous change in me? It's the message encoded in MetaReverse, a love letter that will accompany me from the beginning to the end of my artistic life.

I think I was the most surprised, myself. I did not know I had any interest in the arts, despite having two famous artist parents. Life is truly full of surprises.

Your parents are very popular artists in Việt Nam. What did they tell you when you began with painting?

My father was exceedingly encouraging from the very beginning despite my absurd turn of career from being an accountant and financier to an artist. He has had the greatest influence on my artistic thoughts and mentality. My father is a great artist, a towering figure I have always looked up to.

My mother is also a renowned lacquer artist who has won several international awards. She was more conservative and told me it took her 14 years of training in the lacquer medium to fully become an artist. I was already 32 when I took my first lacquer lesson.

My family's love for art runs in my veins. I am blessed to be born into such a family dedicated to the world of art and artists. My parents are both great parents. Enough sweetness and bitterness to make a perfect cocktail.

You began to draw right after your 32th birthday and in two years, you have made nearly 50 large lacquer paintings, not to mention more than 100 other paintings in 2021-22. It is unbelievable, a huge number of paintings even for an established artist. How did you do it?

In the beginning, I was purely driven by my explosive new-found passion. I was deep into doing my art despite all the roadblocks.

Then as time passed, my health could not cope with the insanity of working 18 hours a day nonstop in a toxic environment such as mine, and I reverted back to my accounting and business mind.

I treat my artist life like a project, I optimise and I work smart, I delegate and also manage the workflow. Now being an artist is my new normal and business as usual.

Did you learn painting when you were small? Will you continue to pursue your art path?

No, I never learnt painting, I had no interest before. Now I am sure till my last breath, I will pursue art. There is no other way for me.

Do you think your exhibition will be a phenomenon in fine arts circles?

I don’t know but I have faith in the given path. Whatever the outcome, I will be happy and fulfilled.

I have travelled to more than 13 countries and territories. Ultimately, I have come to one conclusion: everything must have roots. My roots are in Việt Nam. Vietnamese people need the support and impetus of their own country to venture abroad.

We live in a time of change. Artists have always played a role in leading people towards good things, enriching the spiritual life of the community. It is the hope of artists, such as myself, that we can use art to create a world full of love, peace, positive energy and beautiful artistic experiences that touch the human heart.

With hope and creativity, our small artistic community in Việt Nam will connect and inspire each other. We will join forces to create a beautiful, prosperous and joyful Việt Nam that the people can be proud of.

I believe that the future belongs to us artists, who will be the ones to awaken the beautiful values lost due to the negative aspects of technology. Let's join hands and build a better world. VNS