Vu Dan Tan: Tanorigami

May 13 - June 11, 2006

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  Vu Dan Tan was born in Hanoi in 1946 as a son of a playwright. Under the influence of his father, he started to study art and music by himself and later he sojourned in Russia during 80s and 90s to accomplish his skill as painter. After his return to Vietnam, he developed a style unique to himself by reusing the discarded materials such as empty cans or cardboards, and with the advent of Doi moi (open door) policy his work has attracted worldwide attention. Standing away from the mainstream of academic figurative painting in the country, Tan’s creation holds its peculiar position in today’s Vietnam.

 

  In this exhibition will be shown the new pieces from his Suitcases of a Pilgrim series. This series, started in the late 90s, consists of the paper objects of masks or animals, which are cut out and painted from the old packaging of cigarettes and candies. These objects are fixed in a wooden box, which is originally used by Vietnamese boys as a mobile showcase to sell the cigarettes and other small articles on the street. On the occasion of his first exhibition in Japan, Tan referred to Japanese Origami (the art of folding paper into various figures) and gave diverse forms to the fictitious creatures and mythical personages that inhabit his imaginary world.

 

  During this exhibition are also programmed events such as a performance by the artist and a talk about the overall artistic climate in Vietnam by Natalia Kraevskaia, a leading art critic in this field and a longtime partner of the artist as well.

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●  Opening hours: Tue.-Sat. 12:00-19:00. Sun.12:00-17:00. / closed Mon.

●  Opening reception with the artist : May 13, 17:00~

●  Lecture & Performance : May 14, 14:00~