I’m not quite sure when it started, but I gradually became drawn to gifts made from works of art. Maybe it began during my travels around the world, or perhaps it came from the gifts I received from international friends. Back when I was working on a World Bank project and had the opportunity to collaborate with top global experts, every year during the project reviews, colleagues would often bring me the most unique and thoughtful gifts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still remember a beautiful \u201cflying carpet\u201d Peter Stout gave me \u2014 a piece of fine Turkish tapestry. I kept it for a long time as a graceful decoration on my desk. Later on, every time I moved to a new home, I had it framed like a painting and hung it carefully in a place of quiet honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was another time Peter Moock gifted me a painting he bought in Tunisia, along with a black wooden sculpture carved in the shape of a \u201chuman tree\u201d \u2014 delicate and striking. No matter how many times I moved, or how many things I had to leave behind, these artistic keepsakes always came with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there were the treasures from Ng\u1ea1n Phi (a friend from China), and more recently, gifts from Korean friends and from Mr. Kim Dong Ho \u2014 whom I often mention with deep affection. All of these objects have quietly become part of my living space, like silent companions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But perhaps most special of all are the pieces I picked out myself during my own travels. A small memento from the Yale University Art Gallery. A scarf printed with just a corner of a Van Gogh painting I found at the National Gallery in London. The prettiest English tea tins printed with Lowry\u2019s masterpieces from his museum in Manchester. And many other lovely little items collected from museums across Liverpool, Paris, Barcelona…. From Europe to the U.S., and even the National Museum of Korea with its finely crafted treasures \u2014 or something as simple as a ceramic cup I bought at the immersive Van Gogh exhibition in Bangkok \u2014 all of these inspired a quiet thought I carried with me for a long time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That someday, I would like to print my own paintings onto sweet, simple objects \u2014 to give art collectors a new kind of experience, and to offer others a small, accessible way to bring art into their everyday spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019ve gathered a personal collection of art-inspired keepsakes like these, you begin to understand just how special it feels to use an object born from a work of art. There’s a quiet joy in it \u2014 and it brings a certain poetry, a touch of romance, and something uniquely your own into your living space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although I\u2019ve produced a lot of merchandise over the years \u2014 for the many public festivals I\u2019ve organized in music, film, and contemporary arts, or as gifts for clients on special occasions \u2014 starting my own Art Gift collection felt completely different. Mass-produced event merchandise has a different nature, shaped by external requirements and constraints. But creating something of my own, from the ground up, required a different kind of care \u2014 from design and concept to materials \u2014 especially when it comes to aesthetics and user safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friends and close ones know that for over ten years, due to family health challenges and raising children, I\u2019ve devoted a lot of time to researching how we eat, live, dress, and consume \u2014 with as little harm as possible. So when it came to making something that carried the spirit of art, I knew I also had to consider the material integrity behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why choosing the production material was one of the first and most important decisions I made. When I made the first demo pieces to gift to friends, they laughed and said, \u201cThis material is too premium \u2014 the production cost must be really high!\u201d And yes, it is. But when something feels like the right choice, you learn to accept the cost that comes with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After many days of testing and letting friends try them out, I finally decided to officially release the very first product in my Art Gift line: a ceramic cup made from Minh Long porcelain<\/strong>, printed with my artwork using high-quality heat transfer on the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As many of you know, poor-quality ceramics made with lead-based materials can be hazardous to health. So even though the production cost is higher, I chose Minh Long without hesitation \u2014 because to me, that matters more than any profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More items will gradually follow \u2014 so that this Art Gift collection will become more diverse and offer more choices to those who love art and the beauty of well-made things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sincerely hope to have the support of friends and fellow art lovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you all so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n