The Sylt Foundation´s aim to enhance the South South dialogue enters the next phase. After initiating an exchange programme with SA SA Arts in Cambodia we will embark on a cooperation with Art Vietnam Gallery in Hanoi. Thu Kim Vu is first Vietnamese artist-in-residence at the Sylt Foundation in Johannesburg.

Hanoi based artist Thu Kim Vu will be staying in Johannesburg from 3rd March to 4th April. 

There will be a presentation of her work together with a Vietnamese meal on Tuesday, 8th march after 6 pm at "The Kitchen on 4th Floor" in New Doornfontein in Joburg. 
https://www.facebook.com/The-Kitchen-on-the-4TH-FLOOR-1510334599225085/
It is necessary to rsvp for this event so please e-mail us at info@syltfoundation.com for further information.

Curators of the programme are Suzanne Lecht, director of the Art Vietnam Gallery and Indra Wussow, director of the Sylt Foundation.

Thu Kim Vu graduated her BFA from Hanoi University of Fine Arts, Vietnam and her MFA from the School of the Art Institutre of Chicago, United States. Focus on line drawing, paper material and using temporary spaces, she had been working on different projects through traveling to create a new experience based on how her line drawing changing the atmostphere of each space. Vu has been participated in a number of residencies worldwide which contribute a great influence in shaping her works into many directions.

In 2008, Vu particited residency Program at Vermont Studio Center and New York Mills Regional cultural center, Minnesota. Her works was expanded to doodle drawing and combined with different paper construction setting dealing with emotional, mental as well as physical aspect of using lines, brushstroke as a method of meditation. In 2009, Vu came to Goyang National Art studio, Korea and discovered a new dimension in her work experimenting with Korean traditional Hanji paper and expanding her brushstroke into an enormous scale larger than herself, creating spontaenous movement. At the same year, she also travelled to Sanskriti Kendra, India under the Unesco Aschbergh Fellowship, where the new colorful energy of the Rangoli inspired her works with papers. After that, Vu was working on a new project “WEBS” developing her residencies at Seven Below art Initiatives and Djerassi in United States. In late 2010, Vu started a new exhibition at Kuenstlerdorf Schoeppingen in Germany, opening new ideas on how she de-forms the construction of spaces. In the year of 2011, Vu participated in three residencies: Mc Coll Center of Visual Art (USA), Rockefeller Bellagio Center (Italy) and Can Serrat International Residency (Spain). From these trips, she developed her new ideas in working with maps drawing on papers.

In the past three years, Vu was interested in Japanese culture and her studies of Washi paper leads her to new experimentation with paper sculpture and lighting based on her current experience in three residencies in Japan: Kamiyama Artists in Residence Program, Mino Paper Art Village and Sapporo Artist in Residence Program.

Recently, Thu has been an artist in residence in Johannesburg, South Africa sponsored and organized by Sylt Foundation. She became interested in the culture of Soweto and community works here.

Vu  is based in Hanoi, Vietnam as freelance artist.
(Biography updated in April 2016)

There is also the idea to support Southern African artists with a residency in Hanoi at a later stage of the programme.

Partner:
Art Vietnam Gallery
www.artvietnamgallery.com