While living in Asia, I instantly felt connected with Vietnam and specially with the beautiful conical hats that people wear to protect them from the sun or the rain.

Without any apparent reason, the diverse textures and shades of those hats inspired my art for many years.

During several months I locked myself in my studio and spend hours paintings those hats in different settings: I started depicting them in Vietnamese landscapes but later on I took them to places that were dear to my heart, and this is how the Vietnamese hats ended up in my favorite beach in Brazil or hanging on the iconic walls of “Caminito”, a traditional neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

And this was how I realized that those hats represented me, my story and my journey as a constant immigrant to new countries and cultures from the moment I left Argentina more than 20 years ago. Through my art, I left a hat (a piece of my soul) in each dear landscape I lived in.

Years later I had the opportunity to leave my young kids for a few days and plan a trip with some friends…Chosen destination? …Vietnam of course…

Hanoi was our home for just a few days, long enough for me to fall in love and feel  totally comfortable with its culture and people.

I loved being immersed in its charming chaos of vibrant colors, distinct fragrances and odors, diverse sounds and noisy motorbikes.

And blooming from that stimulating scenario were those hats, naturally though elegantly worn by the street vendors.

How controversial life can be, those vendors walk miles everyday carrying their heavy baskets of juicy fruits or fragrant flowers in order to make their living and at the same time, in my eyes they were a living art on the streets of Hanoi. The colors and textures of their goods , their clothes and beautiful smiles sometimes, and suspicious looks others, made those vendors unique and beautiful, true icons of the Vietnamese culture.

Years later, I discovered Loes photography art series “Merchants in Motion” and I felt so inspired by her work and her story that I called her to ask her if she would be interested in me joining her to celebrate, through my paintings, the life of these strong women who maybe without knowing it, brighten the streets of Vietnam with colorful resilience.

The artworks of this series are inspired on Loes amazing and original photographic work. During my creative process, I felt the freedom of taking the elements of her beautiful photos that inspired me and combined them with nuances and elements from my imagination.

Thank you Loes for inspiring my work.

If you would like to know more about Loes’ unique work and story of “ Merchants in Motion “ , go to  https://loesheerink.com/