A news item in VietNam News, via News Room Finland** caught my eye – “Finnish oral traditions inspire painting exhibition in Ha Noi” (links are mine):

“Two female artists from Viet Nam and Hungary are displaying their interpretations of Finnish folklore in an ongoing exhibition called Kantelatar in Ha Noi. The original Kantelatar* contains more than 600 lyrics and ballads and is the companion work to the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. Both works were compiled by scholar-physician Elias L&#246nnrot from poetry passed on by word of mouth over many centuries. The Kantelatar expresses the emotions of Finnish people in daily life and festivals.

The Juminko Foundation of Finland invited two foreign artists to illustrate the Kantelatar with paintings, and some pieces from the work were translated into Hungarian and Vietnamese. […] Sponsored by the EU, the Finnish government and the embassies of Hungary and Viet Nam, the exhibition was held in Budapest before it came to Ha Noi.”

Now, the Hungarians are very distant cousins of the Finns, but the Vietnamese connection is unusual and most intriguing here.

If you’re interested, Virtual Finland** has lots more links about the Kalevala, which inspired many artists and composers.

**Virtual Finland no longer exists, sadly