Dương Đỗ, founder of Toong and Sốnglab. – Photo courtesy of Dương Đỗ

With his philosophy of persisting with what he believes is right and necessary, Dương Đỗ, a millennial entrepreneur, became a pioneer in integrating co-working spaces with culture and art. His philosophy, eight years after he forayed into the co-working business, has been proved correct when his company, Toong, has been able to survive and develop during and after COVID-19 pandemic.

Việt Nam News reporter Thu Ngân speaks with Dương about his love for business and arts and his efforts to set up the biggest digital art space in Huế City.

Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Đỗ Sơn Dương (Dương Đỗ). I am founder and CEO of Toong, a chain of co-working space, and founder and creative director of Sốnglab.

In 2015 I founded Toong, the first co-working space chain in Southeast Asia that integrates art and culture into the working environment. Toong now has over 20 locations in Việt Nam and Laos and homed thousands of businesses and organisations from around the world.

Having the time and chance to work with many people from different sectors, I recognised art can help enhance human's aesthetics and creativity.

Therefore, in 2023, I decided to establish Sốngplatform with the aim of creating a platform that encourages a conscious and enjoyable lifestyle.

Within Sốngplatform, I have created Sốnglab, the first digital art space in Việt Nam.

Sốnglab is a platform to promote artists from various fields such as dance, theatre, painting, sculpture, and installation to showcase their creations with the support of cutting-edge projection technology available at Sốnglab.

Inner Sanctum: You love art and often bring art into your co-working spaces. Tell us about this and how you balance doing business with creating artistic spaces?

I have met many people and had the chance to study and acquire knowledge about art and culture. Culture and art have helped me to become a better version of myself. From my point of view, all aspects of daily life are connected with each other.

Business and art are two sides of a coin. Culture and art help businesses differentiate themselves, express the organisation's values and develop customer loyalty.

A visitor at Sốnglab, the new art space that Dương has created in Huế City. – Photo courtesy of Sốnglab

Inner Sanctum: Your latest venture is setting up Sốnglab, the digital art space. Why are you so passionate about digital art, which requires huge investments?

In Việt Nam, contemporary art is still relatively new and not easily embraced by everyone.

However, over the past 20 years contemporary art has dominated the art scene and been providing creative opportunities for artists.

Vietnamese people need the opportunity to access it to elevate our aesthetic standards. For artists, it offers an effective way to showcase Vietnamese culture and creativity using a language that the progressive global community can understand.

Therefore, five years ago I envisioned a unique space that would invest in cutting-edge equipment to serve as a platform connecting creative individuals from various fields.

Here, artists can freely experiment and use technology to showcase their works.

Sốnglab was born to change the way art is appreciated in Việt Nam, encouraging individuals to remove self-imposed limitations and inspire the creative spirit based on beautiful things.

Situated in Huế City, Sốnglab features five distinct exhibition spaces, each offering different modes of presentation including screen projections, installation art, interactive rooms for role-playing and interactive art creation.

With such diverse technological platforms, artists in various disciplines like traditional painting, music, sculpture, contemporary dance, and more can find a suitable medium to express their artistic language.

On the other hand, art serves as a means to transform our mindset, enabling us to have a multidimensional perspective on life and embrace differences.

By examining the details through their symbolism, we can easily grasp the all-encompassing message of the artwork.

Consequently, we can approach everything in life with a more nuanced and empathetic view, fostering a more harmonious response to the challenges we face.

Sốnglab is one of the important elements in the Sốngplatform ecosystem, which combines dining, entertainment, commerce, working environment and art.

Our intention is not only to provide comfort and convenience but also enhance the aesthetics and knowledge of the community.

An artwork at Sốnglab is opened in October in Huế City. — Photo courtesy of Sốnglab

Inner Sanctum: Many believe that Huế is still an 'ancient land' with set ideas, and contemporary art will therefore be more embraced in big cities like HCM City or Hà Nội. What do you think about that?

Huế is rich in culture and art. The cultural and historical heritage of Huế, from its former capital city relics to various art forms, way of life, customs, and traditions, holds immense value.

However, I believe that this heritage gains even more significance when it influences the aesthetic sensibilities of the public and becomes a source of inspiration for young creators.

Artistic language, seen as the language of the masses, helps people easily access and be inspired by heritage. Furthermore, the presence of a cutting-edge digital art centre in Huế is evidence that heritage can serve as a rich source of contemporary life.

What matters most is the initial idea behind the artwork. Any creation that aims to inspire positivity, share aesthetic richness or remind people of forgotten beauty is deserving of respect and encouragement.

I believe that the beauty of Huế will be rejuvenated and conveyed in a more youthful manner through the language of contemporary art.

Inner Sanctum: Digital art exhibitions around the world attract a large number of tourists. For example, the Van Gogh exhibition in Singapore attracted many viewers from various countries. Do you expect the same for Sốnglab?

Yes, attracting a large number of people to experience it is an important goal for a service space. However, Sốnglab is also a playground for artists to bring their works to the public with the support of technology.

The more people experience art and consider it an essential part of life, the better it is, not only for Sốnglab but also for our society. It will help make our society more beautiful every day. I believe that the economy can support art and art can create economic value. We don't always have to choose between the two. – VNS