Toba Mika and Hoi An

Update: 03/11/2017
The Toba Mika's art exhibition of a Vietnam in miniature at the Cham Museum in Da Nang city is a great attraction to the public.

Toba Mika and her painting of Hoi An city

According to this painter, the only place in Vietnam where she can find herself in her “spiritual children” is Hoi An city (Quang Nam province).

Endless inspiration

Toba Mika is known as having been awarded the medals by the Government of Vietnam and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for her contribution to the Vietnam-Japan relations. She loves Vietnam. The exhibition of a Vietnam in miniature is an expression of her affection for Vietnam. During 23 years working in Vietnam, Toba Mika has never felt bored because it is a beautiful country with a great number of cultural and natural colours, the strong catalyst for her art creation. She is highly appreciated for her deep mind, delicateness, patience, and great talent.

Toba Mika was born in Japan in 1961. She graduated from Kyoto University of Arts and Design. Mika has received 19 different Japanese awards for her contributions to the preservation of the 1000-year-old  Katazome dyeing technique.

Fall in love with the land of Quang Nam

Interestingly, there is a woman’s silhouette appearing in the only picture among 120 exhibited paintings of Vietnam. It is Mika’s and the painting is about Hoi An ancient town, she said, because she found herself here. According to her story, her father was born in Omiya, where there were many trading exchanges with Hoi An set up during the past centuries. For Toba Mika, the dawn in Hoi An is ecstatically beautiful, and she never misses any chance to enjoy it.

Meanwhile, she found a strong life in My Son Sanctuary. In the picture of My Son, the aspiration to living is expressed successfully via the red colour. At the same time, the colour in this picture also tells the author’s feelings in a mysterious context of My Son Sanctuary.

She hoped to present her art works in the Japanese street in Hoi An city in the coming time.

Entering Vietnamese life

Toba Mika feels extremely honored that over 20 of her paintings are presented in the Cham Museum, which carries a variety of typical cultural values of Vietnam, similar to the Thai Hoa Palace (Hue), or Temple of Literature (Hanoi). If her paintings can be exhibited here, it is because the museum is a place of cultural exchanges, and because of their Vietnamese cultural values expressed by an Asian artist. Mika’s works have been highly appreciated because they represent the Vietnamese scenery and people’s lives lively and in detail.

The exhibition of a Vietnam in miniature helps people learn more about Vietnam, especially those that attend the APEC Vietnam 2017 in Da Nang city.

Source: QNO