Just wanna journal about my personal art Tiny Moving Place as an individual artist (Book of Lai)
I’ve been drawing cars for as long as I can remember, particularly the small, simple ones: the vintage Minis, the Kei cars, the ones that carry only the essentials and a massive sense of freedom.

For years, this passion has found its home in my art series, Tiny Moving Place, where I create fantastical mobile worlds: a coffee roaster, an arcade, an airport built on the back of a small vehicle.

It’s always been about possibilities, the idea that you can pack up your life and your joy and take it anywhere.

Yesterday, that idea stopped being just ink on paper and became metal, canvas, and coffee-stained wood.

I was at the Malaysian Mini Day, surrounded by about 400 Mini Coopers, and I finally got to live out the central theme of my art.

The event had a Mini Cooper car boot sales section, and I immediately applied. The car I drove up in is an F56, a modern Mini, but the moment I opened the boot and began setting up my portable tables and display stands, it transformed.

In the midst of all those enthusiasts, my little Mini became a fully-fledged, portable art shop.

I laid out the handmade art toys and my zine, the one that tells the illustrated story of the Tiny Moving Place series.

For the first time, the narrative I’ve been crafting about seeking freedom was right there, anchored to my own car, ready to be explored.

The sheer joy of the experience was in the simple, beautiful interaction.

I wasn’t just standing behind a booth; I was standing behind my car, which had become my gallery.

I sat on a small stool, hosting friends and strangers alike, talking about my work, my inspiration, the simple pleasure of an open boot for a picnic all while leaning against the very vehicle that inspired the conversation.

It was a surreal, fulfilling moment of complete coherence: the artist, the art, and the vehicle that birthed the concept, all in one space.

When the day ended, and the crowd thinned, I simply packed all the tables, the toys, and the memories back into my small, two-door Mini Cooper and drove home.

That effortless transition from a busy shop back into a simple personal transport felt like the ultimate validation of the Tiny Moving Place philosophy.

Freedom and possibilities aren’t just things you drive toward; sometimes, they’re things you carry with you, hope to do it again next year.

– Lai