Somewhere in Northern Vietnam
Somewhere in Northern Vietnam
The Landscape Journal, Volume 2
Hello! I’m Sunny Boy. A Filipino visual artist and former architect, now working as a full-time traveling artist. My practice is rooted in movement—both physical and personal—shaped by my decision to leave my profession and pursue a life centered around art, travel, and lived experiences.
Through my ongoing project That Boy Somewhere, I document the places I’ve lived in and explored, beginning in the Philippines and continuing across Southeast Asia.
Over the past eight months, I have been based in and traveling across Northern Vietnam, where my practice has deepened through immersion in local environments. Living in the villages of Sa Pa, I spent significant time with local families and experienced daily life in the countryside. This period has strongly shaped my recent body of work, drawing inspiration from the landscapes, routines, and cultural elements present in these communities.
My current collection reflects these experiences—incorporating influences from H’mong culture, traditional patterns, and the visual language encountered throughout my travels. Volume 2 of the Landscape Series features 12 locations across Northern Vietnam, including Hanoi, Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, Cao Bang, and Ha Giang. These works explore a picturesque, impressionist approach—how I visualize and interpret each place—blending observation with subtle influences from pop culture and childhood imagination, creating a balance between the real and the personal.
Alongside the landscapes is a collection of monotone ink and acrylic works titled Life in Sa Pa. This series includes seven countryside paintings that capture quiet, dreamlike moments of rural life, along with six sketch studies of H’mong women I encountered during my time in Y Linh Ho and Ta Van. Together, these bodies of work present different perspectives of how I observe and interpret the world around me.
Looking ahead, my vision is to continue developing this practice through traveling across Southeast Asia—exploring traditional art forms and techniques that can be integrated into my work. My process remains grounded in observation; sketching on-site, studying my surroundings, and translating these into both small studies and larger works.
Through this, I aim to build a body of work shaped by the places I have lived in and moved through—paintings that document real experiences and reflect how these places have changed me.
Exhibition Details
July 5–24, 2026
The Pause, Ta Van, Sa Pa
Open Studio throughout the exhibition
Original works available for acquisition
