Japanese artist Ando Keita introduces seven ink and acrylic paintings at the 2025 International Art Lotus Van Exhibition, which will be open until October 31 at the HCM City-based Lotus Van Art & Community Hub. Photo courtesy of the arthub

HCM CITY — Human and cultural values and belief in beauty are major themes of artworks by 16 artists from Japan, Indonesia, Brazil and Việt Nam, which are on display at the HCM City-based Lotus Van Art & Community Hub.

The 2025 International Art Lotus Van Exhibition displays 56 paintings and sculptures in various media, including oil, acrylic, ink, silk, iron, steel and aluminium.

Most of them feature an abstract style, reflecting artists’ souls and unique artistic identities and the collective memories of people from different nations.

Nguyễn Minh Quang, a lecturer at the city University of Fine Arts who speaks on behalf of the artist group, shared that, “from Japan, Indonesia, and Brazil to Việt Nam, though we differ in culture, language and history, we meet one another through the common language of art and friendship.

"The artwork in this exhibition does more than enrich our visual experience. It speaks from the artists’ hearts, resonating with the spiritual memories of their culture.”

Quang, 53, brings to the event a composite sculpture named Portrait of Life and two monochrome paintings in blue with portraits hidden inside, demonstrating silent dialogues between the artist and his existential self.

Japanese artist Ando Keita displays seven ink and acrylic paintings based on the central theme of “life, death, and the cycle of existence.”

The 33-year-old artist said, “Since my art residency at Sangkring Art Space in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2019, I have expanded this theme by exploring the intersection between religious and philosophical views on life and death outside Japan and the Buddhist perspectives rooted within Japanese culture.”

Keita has held several solo and group exhibitions in Japan and was in an art residency in Indonesia and Malaysia. He joined Japanese artist Fumiko Iwamoto to establish an alternative space called Maa Taka Don in Fukuoka in 2024.

Red Soldier, an acrylic painting by Indonesian visual artist Alex Danny Santosa. Photo courtesy of the artist

Indonesian visual artist Alex Danny Santosa presents four acrylic paintings featuring themes of people, animals and objects with naïve and decorative style to portray his emotions and tell stories from his daily activities.

The exhibition also features paintings by Brazilian artist Viudes Barboza Tiago with Sunset in Rio, Japanese artist Koutaku Yoshinaga with Riverside God, and Nguyễn Minh Nhựt with Chiếc Hộp Bình An (Pandora’s Box).

The showcase includes sculptures named Con Người và Thiên Nhiên (People and Nature) by Trần Đình Thắng and Voices in the Sky by Đinh Duy Tôn.

The exhibition remains open until October 31 at 99 Nguyễn Thị Thập, Tân Mỹ Ward. – VNS

Chiếc Hộp Bình An (Pandora’s Box), an oil painting by Nguyễn Minh Nhựt. Photo courtesy of the artist

Sunset in Rio, an acrylic painting by Brazilian artist Viudes Barboza Tiago. Photo courtesy of the artist

Riverside God, an acrylic painting by Japanese artist Koutaku Yoshinaga. Photo courtesy of the artist

Con Người và Thiên Nhiên (People and Nature), an aluminium sculpture by Trần Đình Thắng. Photo courtesy of the artist