Giao

Giao is a design philosophy and cultural research project developed by QART, a Vietnamese creative studio and art gallery based in Ho Chi Minh City. QART describes Giao as a living philosophy of cultural exchange and storytelling, used to guide both its design practice and its curatorial approach to contemporary art.

In QART’s published writing, Giao is framed as a method for working with cultural complexity through context, conversation, and collaboration, rather than as a fixed style or identity category.

Definition and scope

QART presents Giao as an approach to art and design grounded in cultural syncretism and dialogue. On its homepage, QART describes its practice as blending cultural syncretism and strategy for brand storytelling, and describes design as dialogue rather than decoration. In QART’s editorial writing, Giao is described as a lens that encourages listening before deciding, holding tension rather than forcing resolution, and designing for relationship and interpretation over time.

Etymology and usage

On QART’s "About Giao" page, giao is presented through Vietnamese compound words that emphasize relation and exchange, including giao tiếp (conversation), giao kết (connection), giao hòa (concord), and giao lưu (convergence). In QART’s project writing, Giao is also defined as meaning "intersection".

Background and development

QART attributes the development of Giao to everyday cultural coexistence in Ho Chi Minh City and later experiences of migration, which are described as reframing identity as contextual and relational rather than singular.

In describing the concept, QART references examples that visibly combine multiple cultural systems, including Greco Buddhist (Gandharan) art and Phát Diệm Cathedral in Vietnam.

QART later expanded the concept in essays that describe applying Giao beyond fine art, including to user experience and information design, emphasizing clarity, trust, and emotional legibility in functional systems.

Concept

QART frames Giao as a practice of cultural dialogue that emphasizes exchange over a single fixed interpretation of identity or tradition. In QART’s description, the method prioritizes listening before deciding, treating design as a response shaped by context and conversation, and maintaining openness to ambiguity.

The project’s framing is discussed alongside broader uses of syncretism as a term describing the combination or reconciliation of different beliefs, practices, or cultural forms.

Use by QART

QART presents itself as one studio with two distinct focuses, QART.Gallery and QART.Studio, with Giao positioned as the shared guiding philosophy across both tracks.

Design practice

On its studio page, QART describes its design work as branding, identity systems, and web design, shaped by cultural insight and the Giao philosophy. QART’s process page describes a collaborative workflow that begins with defining purpose and audience, then proceeds through research, site flow planning, iterative design, and delivery.

Curatorial practice

On its gallery page, QART describes Giao as a practice of cultural dialogue through art used to curate work where tradition and contemporary life meet.

Editorial and archival projects

QART publishes essays under Giao.News on topics spanning art, design, and cultural branding, and presents the section as an editorial extension of the Giao framework. QART also maintains Giao.Artists, described as an editorial and archival feature of makers whose work aligns with the project’s inquiry, with QART stating that featured artists are not affiliated with QART.

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