Minh Dung Vu
Born in Vietnam, based in Leipzig Germany
2013 - 2014 Graphic design Vietnam University of Fine Art
2015 - 2019 Painting / Graphic University of Fine Arts Essen
2019 - 2022 Painting /Graphic at Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig ( HGB Leipzig ) Class Prof. Michael Riedel
2022 - 2023 Meisterschüler (Post Graduate Studies) with Prof. Nikolas Gambarroff, Academy of Fine Arts Mainz
''The artist with Vietnamese roots creates his works with minimal interventions, Minh Dung Vu sews finely painted and specially dyed fabrics, such as silk, to the canvas, thus expanding the classic concept of painting. The fascination for various fabrics and textiles and their versatility are the starting point for his work. Depending on its thickness and structure, fabric behaves differently and can be stretched and processed in different ways.
Vu combines colors and shapes with playful ease, yet precisely and harmoniously. Although the fabric is used one-dimensionally, light and shadow play a major role: depending on where the work is placed
in the room, different light and shadow formations become visible due to the materiality, determined by the permeability and fragility of the fabric. Vu experiments very unobtrusively with materiality,
he combines materials and explores the limits of perception. In doing so, the past, tradition and memory are combined with new impressions of the present to create timeless works of art.''
-Tanja Skorepa-
''Minh Dung Vu doesn’t just paint—he orchestrates fabric. His work reflects a tense negotiation between intention and material, where silk, linen, and canvas become collaborators. Dũng’s practice is rooted in geographical displacement, memory, and culture. Born in Vietnam, his move to Germany in 2013 sparked a new exploration of the relationship between composition and the fluidity of space. Through cutting, sewing, and manipulating fabric, Dũng establishes a tactile connection to his past. His work doesn't explicitly depict tradition but offers a new way to engage with it, inviting intimate and unique dialogues with his pieces. The materiality, defined by the permeability and softness of various fabrics, allows Dũng to create forms and spaces that bring his artistic practice to life. Drawing inspiration from culture and history to personal experiences, his work reflects his personal memories and an unexplored family history. Traditional Vietnamese forms like chầu văn, ca trù, and his feelings of homesickness and unfamiliarity living abroad form the foundation of Dũng’s artistic language, shaping his distinctive exploration of fabric.''
- Karlie Ho-
Prizes/Grants
STRABAG Artaward International 2020 - Award of Recognition
Germany scholarship for talented students 2018
Essen sponsorship award winner 2018
Nomination Ketterer Kunst Masterclass Award 2024, Munich
Group and Solo Show (Selection)
2024 AROUND THE WHITE ROAD - Gate Gate Gallery - Hanoi - Vietnam (Solo)
2023 FROM EAST TO WEST - Gallery Academy of Fine Arts Mainz (Solo)
2023 TRIALOGUE - Aspects of Abstraction - Gallery Biesenbach - Cologne
2023 Painting after Painting - Gallery Heike Strelow - Frankfurt
2023 4 Generations Painting after Painting - SHALAST Frankfurt - Gallery Heike Strelow
2022 Position Berlin Art Fair - Gallery Biesenbach
2022 Diplom - Exhibition at Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig.
2022 THANK FOR THE DELAY - CAI Gallery - Belgium
2022 MINH DUNG VU / JO HUMMEL - Gallery Benjamin Eck - Munich.
2021 3 Person-show Abtract/3/Struktur - Gallery Biesenbach - Cologne.
2021 Season Black - Werkschauhalle, Spinnerei Leipzig.
2021 Time on Flow - STRABAG Kunstforum Vienna (Solo) , Austria
2020. Essential Reduction - Gallery Heike Strelow, Frankfurt am Main.
2020 STRABAG Artaward International 2020 Exhibition, STRABAG Kunstforum Vienna.
2020 Carte Blanche - Gallery Biesenbach, Cologne.
2020 Project on #7 - Gallery damdam Koreanisches Kulturzentrum,Berlin
2019 Unsere Meinung, Klasse Riedel - Urbn Jungle, Leipzig.
2019 Degree Show - HBK Essen.
2019 West - Östlicher Diwan - Gallery Noack- Wassenberg
2019 ''small world'' Gallery Biesenbach - Cologne
2019 ''Flow'' Kupferdreherst 163
2018 Essener Förderpreis Ausstellung 2018, Essen
2018 Contemporary Art Ruhr (C.A.R) Innovative Kunstmesse, Essen
2018 Art of Nedschroef, Essen
2017 Clear prospect at Toscana Halle Berlin
Public Collections
STRABAG Kunstforum, Vienna, Austria
Publications
»''8 Emerging Abstract Painters To Collect Now'' in Contemporary Art Issue (2022)
»''The Best Minimalist Painting: A Complete Overview'' in Contemporary Art Issue (2020)
»STRABAG Artaward« 25 Jahre Kunstpreis für Malerei und Zeichnung
STRABAG SE, STRABAG Kunstforum; Ritter Verlag, Klagenfurt 2020
ISBN 978-3-85415-617-8
»Clear Prospect
Nicola Stäglich, Tim Tratenroth und Anja Kreitz.
Toscana-Halle Berlin,von der Katalog " Clear Prospect"
fadbk|HBK Essen Verlag
Edition HBK Essen 7, ISBN: 978-3-940887-91-7