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Fairy tales of Amadeus Vu Dan Tan

Curated by Le Thuan Uyen
9 Movember - 17 November, 2024
The Hanoi Festival of Creative Design 2024, Hanoi, Vietnam

Shortly after the group exhibition Being Minorities at Hong Kong Art Center in 1997, Vu Dan Tan, was invited by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to participate in a project aimed at creating permanent outdoor sculptural installations on the university campus. Consequently, Vũ Dân Tân promptly began developing multiple iterations of the project.
The artist's first proposal, entitled "Giant Insects of the Private Collection of Amadeus", centered on the creation of sculptures utilizing various modes of transportation. The artist's request for materials to realize his vision underscores the unconventional and somewhat unrealistic essence of his endeavor. To transform vehicles into insect sculptures, Vu Dan Tan requested old automobiles, trains, helicopters, airplanes, ships, and even a satellite, noting that these items could be broken or previously used. In the artist's view, this project, more than others, was intricately linked to the curator's concept regarding the interplay between science, technology, and the distinctive features of the local landscape.

His second version was named “A Wonderful Landscape of Gulliver”. The artist asserted that his inspiration stemmed from Jonathan Swift's timeless satirical fantasy novel “Gulliver's Travels”, as well as from the breathtaking scenery of the expansive university grounds. By illustrating the realm of Lilliput and the land of giants, Vu Dan Tan attempted to replicate the visual effects of these two fictional settings by altering the scale of the natural and material world in relation to human height. In this pursuit, he also continued the ironic and philosophical themes of his literary inspiration, portraying miniature elephants and colossal insects. Throughout his artistic journey, he remained preoccupied with the subjective nature of defining “importance” within the framework of human values.
The third initiative, referred to as “Architectural Fantasies”, integrated architectural features such as towers, pyramids, and multidimensional spaces. These designs are predominantly represented through high-rise structures. Many of them besides the external viewing also permitted human access to their interiors, embodying the artist's vision through the use of various cardboard boxes: the act of looking inside transforms the originally sealed object and alters its fundamental nature.

Natalia Kraevskaia, PhD, art writer and curator,
Vu Dan Tan Museum executive director

There had been few less voluminous files of drawings related to other topics.
The outdoor sculpture and installation projects mentioned above have not been implemented for various reasons; however, the majority of the sketches were published in 2002 in an art book, closely following the original designs. In 2024, a curator Le Thuan Uyen, along with her team, decided to pay tribute to Vu Dan Tan 's unrealized works by recreating four sculptures/installations as part of the Hanoi Festival of Creativity and Design 2024 at one of its seven locations - Hanoi Children's Palace. Art pieces were distributed throughout different areas, creating a narrative about the mysterious, imaginary figure Amadeus Vu Dan Tan, who journeys through various dimensions of space and time. Their execution was enhanced by a workshop – interactive game developed by Education Curator Phuong Vu and Children’s Book Educator Pham Thi Hoai Anh. The installations of Vu Dan Tan not only elicited mental, tactile, and emotional responses from the general audience but also, through the game “Look! It’s Amadeus Vu Dan Tan”, contributed to fostering creativity in children, encouraging them to explore and create with elements of fantasy, dreams, humor, and joy.

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