Talented Vinsers From The GATE Center Become The First High School Students To Participate In A Prestigious Art Residency Program In Japan

Three talented fine arts students from the Vinschool Center for Talent Consulting and Development (GATE) – Từ Hoài An, Nguyễn Minh Hạnh, and Đinh Bảo Nghi – have officially arrived in Koganecho (Yokohama, Japan), marking the start of their journey in an international artist residency program with the art project “Dialogue.” The project is conducted under the professional mentorship of artist Đặng Việt Linh. This is a significant milestone, as the three Vinsers are the first high school students to be selected for this prestigious art program after more than 15 years of operation.

In their first days in Japan, the students participated in a series of professional orientation activities at Koganecho, art museums, and Tsukuba University, helping them familiarize themselves with the residency space, the creative environment, and the international artist community. Through direct guidance and exchanges with practicing artists in Japan, the students were introduced to notable artworks currently exhibited in Japan, professional creative methods and materials, idea development processes, as well as contemporary artistic trends and media. Through these in-depth discussions, the students gradually explored their creative directions and began to build their own artistic language to develop the project in its next phase.

Sharing her thoughts on the early days of the journey, Hoài An said: “Experiencing a new country, a diverse artistic environment, and a completely different climate has given me a lot of inspiration and creative ideas. I feel ready to step out of my comfort zone, both in choosing themes and materials, and I am gradually developing sketches for my work.”

The art residency journey in Japan not only marks a remarkable stage of growth for the talented Vinsers, but also continues to affirm the role of Vinschool GATE Center in creating a launchpad for students to gradually establish their presence and gain recognition within the international art community.

Stay tuned and look forward to more upcoming activities of the talented Vinsers in Japan!

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The “Dialogue” project is implemented as part of an international artist residency program in Japan over two weeks (December 20, 2025 – January 4, 2026) at the Koganecho art studio complex – a prestigious program with over 15 years of history and a limited number of participating artists each year. The project aims to foster connections between young artists and new cultural environments, between traditional Vietnamese art and the flow of contemporary international art, through two main activities: the “Tò he” art workshop, which introduces and shares the value of Vietnamese folk art with the Japanese public, and a thematic exhibition showcasing artworks created from the Vinsers’ own experiences and artistic practice within an international art environment.