Hidden behind the magnificence of modern performance technology in the exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City is a surprise about... the author of the paintings with rustic, innocent strokes. Before being digitized and put on screening, part of the horses were not born from the hands of a professional painter, but were painted by a group of children from MCAS Organization (My Corner Art Studio) - a free drawing class for autistic children established at the end of 2022.
The class is located in Thu Duc ward, Ho Chi Minh City, founded by Ms. Tam Trang, a mother who also has children with autism. She wants to create an environment where children like her can be respected, express themselves and find joy in life.
Here, painting is both a means for children to communicate with the world, and opens up opportunities for children to have additional income, through printing paintings on products such as t-shirts, handbags... and selling directly at exhibitions or through social networks. The class currently has 18 children, open regularly from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM every day from Monday to Friday.
At the end of 2025, the opportunity to meet the creative artist group of the "Intersection of Time" project opened up a special opportunity. Ms. Tam Trang recounted: "The project group are very cute and interested in the community. When they visited us, they shared their desire to do something meaningful for society. And they dedicated a space in the exhibition for their drawings to appear.
Responding to the spirit of the Binh Ngo year of the exhibition, each child began to decorate their own horse with excitement. Paper, pens, watercolors, crayons, all were displayed. Parents sat next to their children. Teachers and management teams accompanied and encouraged them to complete their works. From those drawings, the creative artist group adapted them into moving images according to the motif "Eight horses galloping in the wind" to put on a large screen.
Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy led her son Duong Quoc Nam (a student born in 2003 of MCAS), to the square at the foot of the tower to see the finished product. Nam appeared very excited and enthusiastic when watching the colorful horses gallop.
It feels like being with horses flying fast, flying far, getting closer to a new horizon, with dreams and hopes," Ms. Thuy, baby Nam's mother, said emotionally.
Art does not necessarily have to be academic. The most important thing about art is the ability to touch human emotions," Creative Director Yahya An-Dinh, Head of the project team emphasized. He also added that the main purpose of the exhibition is for everyone to both enjoy beauty and participate in creating beauty.
Ms. Tam Trang, who has spent many years accompanying children that society sometimes does not fully understand, confided the simplest thing: "I want to help my children have a profession, earn money to support themselves within their ability and intelligence, and be recognized by society for their efforts. I don't want people to pity my children.
The public, organizations and businesses can support them by buying paintings or ordering products as gifts and souvenirs. For young children in special painting classes, each well-received work not only brings income, but is also recognition for creative efforts and community integration journey.
