His exhibit, Lotus Pond, contains a semi-abstract series of 21 paintings on various materials, including lien and canvas.

Although Shojiro says he enjoys painting lotuses, the symbol of Vietnam, his Japanese rendition of flowers is quite different from that of any local artist.

While Vietnamese use pink and rose, Shojiro uses blues and greens to paint the lotus icons, as well as reds and purples when painting ponds.

With his creative way of using colour, Shojiro shows a new beauty found in its simplicity. He plays with his own emotions and sensitivity.

“In Japanese painting, the paper and colour are part of the picture, not merely a medium to make a picture. They have meanings and have to be vivid,” Shojiro said.

People can see that Shojiro’s works are truly a celebration of free expression.

His abstracts invite viewers to look beyond the shapes and appearances to a deeper state of feeling, an artistic approach that is very Eastern.

“The spirit in Eastern painting sets the viewers free to use their own imaginations,” said Shojiro, who received a Master’s degree in Nihonga from Tokyo’s Tama Art University.

Nihonga is typically drawn with Indian ink (black), shells (white), powdered mineral pigments (blue, green), clay (ocher), mercurial compounds (red), gold and silver leaves and other materials.

Glue is used as fixative for the powdered pigments with the result that the colours have a textual quality that makes the pictures look so real as from life.

“My pieces are not reproductions of images of things around me, or of my inner world, but are tools to enhance the memories and imagination of those who see them and are to distinguish between the past and future,” said Shojiro at the opening of his exhibition in HCM City.

Born in 1954 in Tokyo, Shojiro is a globally recognized Japanese artist.

He has received many prizes, including the New Artists Prize at the 25^th Asian Modern Art Exhibition in 1989 and the Second Grand Prize at the Kanagawa-ken Exhibition in 1994, both of which are regarded as a gateway to the contemporary art world.

In 1996, he turned to a charismatic painting style that is rooted in Eastern spirit by going beyond both Western and Eastern forms.

He has had many exhibitions in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and the US.

His Lotus Pond can be seen at the Tu Do Gallery,