An Interview with our new Designer Dieu-Mi Hoang - mihoang.art
Today we are proud to present you a fresh, young artist: Dieu-Mi Hoang. Mi, who was born in Germany and raised by her Vietnamese parents, is living in Denmark for quite some time now. This year was particularly exciting, since we decided to do a joint collaboration! YOU will find Her Designs in our online shop. but first let’s get to know Mi a little better!
Q: Welcome to our little interview and thanks for giving us the time and possibility to do it. We are very happy. First of all, some easy background questions: Where are you from and how did art emerge in your life?
A: It’s a pleasure. I am originally from Dresden, Germany, but my parents are Vietnamese. Just as little side note: I can also do the proper Saxonian accent, but let’s do that another time.
Q: And how did art play a role in your life?
A: Actually, the story of me and art is kind of a cliché. I was always drawing, because I had fun doing it. It started out with ponies and princesses, Disney figures and then some inspiration from Sailor Moon (still a big fan-girl). I never draw for hours and days, but I always kept going. It turned out to be more of a phase thing: whenever I had time, I would draw. When I was starting my bachelors, the drawing got more and more into the foreground. And then it was a huge step from Sailor Moon to realistic drawing.
Q: Since you are talking about your studies, did you actually study art?
A: No; I studied Business Administration and Marketing in Berlin and Aarhus, so rather typical. And art and drawing got more attention after my studies, since I had more time. The more time I had, the more time I appointed towards my drawings. Especially in times of COVID-19, there wasn’t much else to do and I really enjoyed it to focus on myself and my work. Working only for my art was really satisfactory for me.
Click on the posters to see them in our Online Shop:
THE PERSON MI & HER ART
Q: Then it wasn’t such a bad match with you and Corona. Do you see a development in your creative process during that time?
A: Yes, definitely. I am only fully active since May, but I see this exponential learning curve. Things are developing and improving every day. For instance, our collaboration is extremely exciting and it challenges me in a totally new way. I am really looking forward to the whole process.
Q: Despite our poster collection, what are your preferences when it comes to your drawings and the choice of motive?
A: My preferences are actually portraits. That’s what I do the most. But since roundabout two years I focused on still life. In particular botanical motives like fruits, vegetables and flowers were interesting for me. Since I am kind of fond of classic art, unconsciously the “old masters” were certainly a huge influence for me. Moreover, I wanted to create something decoratively for your home.
Q: That would be just the perfect fit for us, Project Nord and the collaboration with you.
A: Exactly. And as my friends and their feedback was always so positive in addition to me having fun while creating, I decided to continue in that direction.
Q: Back to drawing portraits: Who are you drawing and why exactly?
A: Often I paint people, who I find personally interesting, beautiful and who have something special. Until now I only made one portrait of a friend, thus, mostly unknown faces. At the beginning of my portrait series, I started with easy and emotionless faces. But this changed dramatically: now I am almost always only interested in the emotions that are conveyed and the particularities of a face or the person in total. Body language plays the most important role. My focus point is diversity. Different faces from diverse cultures.
Q: We admire that a lot. Is there a reason for your portraits being only female? At least the ones we could see on your Instagram account were only females.
A: Honestly, I personally think of female bodies and faces as more interesting and aesthetically pleasing, but of course I also do male portraits. However, I do not post them. Women are just prettier than men.
Q: At the moment you are in kind of a florale phase, correct? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: Yes, that’s absolutely correct. You can definitely say that, when you look at my ideas and motives for our collaboration. I love flowers and am constantly drawing and painting them. I love floral designs. They are simply beautiful and extremely manifold. That is inspiring for me.
Q: In general, what is art for you? How would you define it?
A: For me, art is actually defined in a rather classical way. Everything that is aesthetically pleasing. But not, my compositions and designs should have another layer. They should be more than just beautiful. Art needs beauty and a story behind it. I am still working on that, but that is okay since it is a process.
Q: Now let us talk explicitly about our collaboration. Why did you agree in the first place?
A: Since I am just starting my career in art and therefore rather small, working together with you signifies for me to make my art more accessible. A bigger audience and lower prices than for example private orders, this is what my art needs right now. Art should be accessible and affordable.
Q: How in general did it come to this collaboration?
A: Actually, everything started with a conversation with Torben. We talked about Nordic minimalism and design in general. I rarely knew Project Nord, but I was immediately convinced of the concept and that I would want to work with you. I just could imagine myself being a part of this. Good design is something everybody likes, right? And yes, I believe that this is an incredible opportunity for me and I am thrilled to get this chance.
DESIGN AND MORE
Q: What means Scandinavian minimalism to you and how is it represented in your collection?
A: Simplicity and the idea of Nordic design. That’s it for me. My work can be simple, yet that is not always the case. My personal claim is to be always above that “just simple”. But one has to admit that my choice of white background directs the attention to the main motive. And minimalistic design is about the concentration on the key elements and abolishing everything unnecessary. Furthermore, I like when it is easy to look at, being easy on the eye in the literal sense of the saying. I would describe my art as minimalistic and little bit more, especially due to the red colour in my pieces.
Q: Did you style and art changed when you moved to Denmark?
A: So, I came to Denmark when I was starting my masters in Aarhus and then changing to the CBS, I moved to Copenhagen. And I would say that my style has definitely changed. In general, I am a rather technical oriented person, I love details and the perfect execution. However, I just found the technical focus here in Copenhagen. In Aarhus it was more about experimenting and trying out, later in Copenhagen the details played a more important role. Also, my personal styling changed – I certainly adapted, if that happened consciously or unconsciously does not really matter. It is rather difficult to not adapt. As a general statement the people here are dressed well, since the Dane as a person pays a lot of attention to aesthetics and a good look, especially when it comes to design. One is always developing and changing, but you also need the motivation yourself to improve and to keep moving. Motivation is a part of the process; the same goes for experimenting. Before you will find yourself and your own artistic and personal identity, you need to try a lot. Identity and art, both undergo a development process.
YOUR PASSION AS A JOB?
Q: Could you imagine taking on your art as a full-time job?
A: Never, I would like to keep art as a hobby and keep the fun and motivation for drawing and painting. My idea of being creative entails that I enjoy myself. I do not want to lose that, since drawing and working on art often means being alone. And even though I like being alone and it can be wonderful to spend time with yourself, I need the people around me and the variety. On top of that, I would prefer using my brain cells in another way as well.
Q: Totally understandable, it is certainly possible to realize one’s full potential in different areas.
A: Turning your hobby into a career is also a very difficult move.
Q: What are your plans for the future with your art and in general?
A: Drawing and painting for sure is my momentary focus. A friend of mine developed a sustainable cosmetic brand and asked me to illustrate the products. Then another friend needed some wall paintings for his new restaurant in Dresden, which I offered to create. The concept there was by the way rather similar to the ideas I had in mind for the collection for you. Besides that, there are always some private orders – so that is keeping me busy.
THE PROCESS OF DRAWING
Q: How come the choice of colour being red and pink? Is there a reason behind it?
A: Firstly, my favourite colour is pink. And secondly, when I changed from classic, standard to mechanical pencils, I discovered different colours. Among them, I personally thought of red as the most interesting and as I tried it out, I really was pleasantly surprised by the result. That’s where I am stuck now. Additionally, my marketing studies are showing here -since red is perfect for branding and in the meantime, it developed to be my personal brand. Red and pink are for sure not for everyone’s taste, but my marketing glasses prevailed.
Q: Currently you are only working with pencils, is that correct?
A: Right, the collection with you is all in pencil, but I also use ink and watercolours, as well as acrylic paint. It can be fun to play around with the technique from time to time. My newest addiction is embroidery. I started to do it this year and then discovered it can look quite nice on some of my paintings as well; mainly as an addition. It works fine. Basically, a good mixture of different styles.
Q: Let's move on to our final question. How does an ordinary day in your life as an artist look like?
A: So, the first thing that I do, as soon as I wake up, is a Vietnamese coffee (in the summer sometimes ice-coffee). I wash my face, waking up a little, coffee drinking and then I’ll try to give my day a little structure. That is why I started to do this “To-Do-lists”. I try to prioritise activities and reflect a little about myself. And that is how my day starts.
Q: And the creation process of one of your pieces?
A: It starts with simple sketches and research – here, I love to get inspired from Pinterest! Then everything needs to be put together somehow. After that, everything goes rather fast. Composition, contours and then the fill-ins. Time-wise it depends on my motivation. Sometimes I can work for a full 10 hours while not noticing it, but on other days I am in desperate need of a break every few minutes. Drawing in general has something meditative.
Q: Thanks for these enlightening insights about the process, your art and your person. We are excited to see what comes next for you and thank you again for your time! It was nice meeting you!
Here are some ideas on how to mix and match the posters:
We hope that you have the same wonderful impression of Mi and her art as we do.
Visit our online shop for her unique designs! Come around and see for yourself!