Hanoi is an ancient and mystical, beautiful but brutal, dynamic, bustling, overwhelmingly crowded city that has industrialized so quickly that environmental laws have not caught up with its modernization. Hanoi is such a polluted city, I rarely saw a blue sky within city limits, and it is typical to wear a mask to filter the outside air whenever venturing into its ever-flowing, labyrinthian streets. The people of Hanoi are incredible with little exception, friendly, and exceptionally hard working; the children smile and play with a verve and energy atypical by American standards. I fell in love with the city over my three month visit, and felt an overwhelming desire to give something back before I departed.

As I navigated the streets on a motorbike, with brushes hanging out of my pockets, swerving with the flow of traffic, and growing accustomed this foreign land, I was blessed with the honor and joy of giving a little something back something to Hanoi: art from America—art of optimism, and forward thinking. With the help of the founder and owner of the beautiful cafe Toast n’ Tea, we developed two murals that sought to encourage a greener future for this ancient city.

The rivers and lakes of Hanoi served as fishing and bathing resources for millennia, but are now dried up and polluted from lightening-fast industrialization. It is said that dragons nest off the majestic coasts. For other life to exist in conjunction with Humankind, we must force ourselves to adapt according to nature’s needs—not just our own. For without healthy nature, without the big majestic animals and the small unseen ones, we would not live long on Earth alone.

“Whales”

Acrylic, 2019

Toast n’ Tea Cafe, Hanoi, Vietnam