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"Northwest Colors" - When shapes tell stories of identity
Not a painter, nor aspiring to be one, designer Pham Huyen Kieu approached painting as a quiet seeker of answers for himself – from a passion for traveling through Northwest Vietnam to a fascination with shapes, colors, and materials. "Colors of Northwest Vietnam" is the result of over 10 years of research and experimentation: where lacquer meets design, where geometric shapes meet ethnic color palettes, and where the expression of identity is retold in a vibrant, individualistic, and distinctly Vietnamese language in contemporary life.
"Northwest Colors" is the result of over 10 years of research and experimentation by designer Pham Huyen Kieu using wood lacquer as a medium.
In this series of paintings, Pham Huyen Kieu discovers a new format, size, and visual rhythm to convey personal emotions. The geometric language—circles, squares, triangles, diagonals, and cubes—seemingly dry and rational, becomes expressive under the designer's hand, telling stories about the land and people of Northwest Vietnam. All of this is "breathed life" into the medium of lacquer, a material deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture and traditional craftsmanship.
Beyond personal expression, "Northwest Colors" is also an experiment in expanding the basic graphic language and indigenous color palette to become the foundation for contemporary, minimalist design applications. From images of the Northwest mountains and forests to ethnic shades, from traditional lacquer materials to basic geometric language, he has transformed indigenous values into a contemporary aesthetic system: minimalist yet rhythmic, abstract yet deeply evocative of roots.
The artwork "Under the canopy of Hoang Lien forest"
Geometric language—circles, squares, triangles, diagonals, cubes—seemingly dry and rational, becomes expressive in the hands of the designer, telling the story of the land and people of Northwest Vietnam.
In a conversation with Travellive, designer Pham Huyen Kieu shared: "My love for the mountains and forests of Northwest Vietnam came very naturally – no matter who you are or where you come from, just one visit is enough to be captivated by the clean air, the slow pace of life, and the pristine beauty. For me, Northwest Vietnam has become as familiar as breathing, because my passion for backpacking trips has been with me for over 30 years. Therefore, I want to tell my own story of Northwest Vietnam through visual language, using graphic elements that might seem dry, like the lessons I learned during my design student days, to return to 'basic graphic design' – a way to untangle emotions and relieve stress after a series of days working as a brand design consultant."
Designer Pham Huyen Kieu
A graduate of the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, specializing in Graphic Design, Pham Huyen Kieu belongs to the pioneering generation in the field of design in Vietnam during the post-reform period. Coming from a family with a strong artistic background and exposed to fine arts from a very young age, he clearly defined his path from his high school years: graphic design – a relatively new field in Vietnam at the time. Since then, he has persistently sought to connect design thinking with local values, helping to build a professional visual foundation imbued with the Vietnamese spirit.
A different perspective on Northwest Vietnam – through design and art.
He further shared: “Each artwork has a clear subject, but when placed before the viewer, the experience unfolds like a dialogue. The elements in the painting can be like a pair of couplets – both contrasting and complementary in space. I believe that visual art is not just for looking at, but for living, for people to feel guided, connected, and to reflect upon themselves through seemingly wordless lines and shades.”
A highlight of "Northwest Colors" lies in the choice of lacquer, a material renowned in Vietnam for its sheen, depth, and characteristic natural golden hue. According to the designer, this is a "beautiful but difficult" material: mixing colors in lacquer is much more complex than with other materials, but when mastered, it creates a visually stunning and abstract effect. For him, the paintings are not just for viewing but also have practical applications in living and working spaces to nurture the soul and create a unique emotion for the viewer.
The space at the launch of "Northwest Colors"
A dialogue between design and painting.
"Colors of the Northwest" is a visual journey of contemplation, exploring Vietnamese culture and lifestyle through the lens of fundamental graphic design. Each painting is a deliberate choice: between identity and minimalism, between emotion and structure, between culture and life.
Unlike traditional painting, which tends towards expressive depiction, Pham Huyen Kieu's approach to color is strongly visual in nature. Instead of depicting reality, he chooses to condense ethnic shades and combine them with a modern sensibility to create a sensual, rhythmic color palette.
Tourists come to admire the paintings.
A dialogue between modernity and Vietnamese identity.
With over three decades of experience in design, branding, and art, Pham Huyen Kieu is a pioneer in modern visual thinking in Vietnam. He is the founder of Arts Journey, editor-in-chief of Locals Visual Arts magazine, co-founder of Design Alliance Asia, and currently serves as a strategic consulting director at Experts in Action. In 2013, he and colleagues from 13 countries belonging to the Design Alliance Asia undertook the Asian Colors project, which was awarded the Design for Asia (DFA) prize in Hong Kong.
“Colors of Northwest Vietnam” is open to the public from June 26th to July 7th, 2025, at B&C Maison d'Art, 82G Tho Nhuom Street, Hanoi. It's an invitation to see, to listen, and perhaps to discover a new understanding of Northwest Vietnam: not through stories, but through shapes and colors. A realm of memories, a lifestyle, an inspiration for the “Vietnamese essence” in contemporary life.
Night. Rain and wind.
"Tuyen Quang on Mid-Autumn Festival night"
Yem Waterfall
