Mid-carrier works

During this period, Hajime Van turned his attention to the human figure, capturing people, gestures, facial expressions, movement, and moments of everyday life with bold, dynamic compositions. A defining characteristic of these works is their exploration of the emotions and inner energy expressed through human movement and action.

The emotional atmosphere of each work remains open to interpretation. Depending on the viewer’s own state of mind and personal experience, the same work can evoke joy, anger, sorrow, or serenity, inviting an ever-changing dialogue between the artwork and its audience.

Van deliberately chose the traditional medium of Japanese woodblock printing as a vehicle for expressing this distinctive and imaginative world. By combining traditional techniques and materials with his own contemporary vision, he created a highly personal visual language that bridges tradition and innovation.

Recent works

Beginning in 2025, Hajime Van embarked on a new body of work expressing inner landscapes through Yame Washi (handmade Japanese paper from Yame area in Fukuoka), crafted by the traditional papermaker Mr. Takayama.

Even after more than forty years of artistic practice, Van’s creative energy remains as vibrant as ever. The unique qualities of Yame Japanese paper enhance the richness of the pigments, the vitality of each brushstroke, and the subtle interaction between paint and paper, allowing his distinctive visual language to emerge with remarkable clarity and depth.