Tuan Vu

Tuan Vu was born in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1971. At age 4, with his mom and three of his sisters they immigrated to Canada by boat as refugees. As far back as he can remember, he always created. In his 20’s he graduated as an engineer, which is a career he pursued until recently. Meanwhile over the years, he nourished his passion and natural aptitude for art by attending drawing, painting, and photography workshops at the University of Montreal. Since 2021, he fully dedicated himself to his art practice. 

With skillful brushstrokes, Vu has a keen eye to capture the raw energy between the characters and nature he paints. The vivid imagery and striking colors in his paintings captures the essence of the scene with remarkable finesse. Even when he depicts a dramatic tableau, the artwork translates beauty, sensuality and romanticism, as if it is a dream or a mirage.  The influence of his homeland's tropical landscape and visual references are obvious; Vu continues to negotiate his inner conflict between his Southeast Asian origins and his Western acculturation.

Since 2016, Vu has participated in several group exhibitions in Canada, including gallery representation. Vu received a Merit for his participation in the Luxembourg Art Prize (2021 and 2022). He was selected among the finalist artists for the 30th-anniversary edition of the London-based magazine ArtMaze (2022) and Friends of Artists (FOA). In September 2023, Vu had his first solo exhibition outside of Canada with Simard Bilodeau Contemporary. Since then, he has participated in group and solo exhibitions in Berlin, London, New York and in his home country Canada. In 2025, Vu will be featured in The Armory Show with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, in New York City.