M I N I A  D.

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Minh Ngà Dang Vu (b. 1977 in Saigon, Vietnam) is an artist who primarily works with acrylic paintings on canvas. Raised by a French couple from the age of 7, while maintaining contact with her biological family, she embraced the name 'Minia' to accommodate her adoptive parents' difficulty pronouncing her birth name. Exposed to both Catholic and Buddhist teachings, Minia's early upbringing in diverse cultural traditions and belief systems laid the foundation for her artistic development. Growing up in the culturally rich city of Paris, she pursued studies in art history and photography. She found inspiration in art movements spanning from Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism, shaping her own unique vision and style. Most of her past collections were produced while living in San Francisco, Paris, and during her travels to India. She has been based in Miami Beach since 2020.

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From a young age, Minia felt a natural inclination towards psychology and healing modalities. In her twenties, meeting for the first time her biological father, who lived with schizophrenia, reinforced her quest for answers through self-development and artistic endeavors. In many ways, her art is intimately connected with her personal practice of Chi Nei Tsang, a holistic approach to the healing touch, developed by the White Cloud Taoist Monks in ancient China. She strives to paint the transformative energies and alchemy that occur through physical-emotional healing as we grow in consciousness. Her work often refers to the magnificent beauty and life force of Nature, the Five Elements, Mysticism, Love, Hope, exploring the liberation from human conditioning to discover new ways of breathing into existence.

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Minia's intuitive process involves multiple layers of paint, allowing her inner guidance, or “the otherness”, to dictate color choices, brush stroke rhythms, and overall composition, until a feeling of internal balance and harmony is reached. These layers build upon each other, similar to the cumulative, energetically charged experiences and constant shifting states of mind. Her attempt to paint energies in motion translates the vibrancy of life's impermanence, often leaving the viewer in a meditative garden of new perceptions.

Minia believes that every experience enriches her creative process. Whether tending to her organic garden, exploring new destinations, or mastering a new language, she views these activities as integral parts of her artistic journey. For her, creativity is not confined to the canvas but extends into every aspect of life, nurturing a deeper connection to co-creating with the universe.