Motorbikes as a symbolic power for the rapid development of Vietnam: Videos and installation by UuDam Tran Nguyen.
As a motorcycle aficionado, it always gives UuDam great inspiration to see the scene of thousands of motorcycle riders in on their bikes, dress in full colorful gears, waiting for the signal each morning and speed away when the light turns green. It resembles the image of medieval knights charging ahead on horses in a battle fields. With gear to protect themselves from head to toes, they look mysterious and beautiful in colors and patterns. UuDam Tran’s videos and installations are about the speedy development of Vietnam and perhaps the world. Motorcycles are the symbolic forces that propel Vietnam forward. “As one of millions of Vietnamese equestrians riding on our mechanical horses to our destinations each day, I wonder if we all chasing a DREAM.” In his exhibition “Dream a Future Dream” at Goethe-Institut Hanoi from March 10 until April 2, UuDam Tran presents two videos and a new installation for which he used the engine blocks of the Honda motorcycles DREAM and FUTURE – which were the most popular motorbikes in Vietnam during his teenage years.
On March 3 at 7 PM we are inviting everyone for an artist talk with the artist UuDam Tran Nguyen and the Hanoi-based cultural journalist Fabiola Büchele.
UuDam Tran Nguyen, born in 1971 in Kon Tum, Vietnam, is one of Vietnam’s leading contemporary artists. After his studies at Fine Arts University in HCMC he spent a long time living in the US and studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. UuDam Tran works with video, performance, photography and sculpture and has been exhibiting at many venues of the world including international exhibitions in Brisbane, Singapore, New York and London. Furthermore, he is the co-founder of the Vietnamese art magazine XEM. UuDam Tran Nguyen lives and works in HCMC.
Fabiola Büchele lives and works as a freelance journalist in Hanoi. Within the framework of Sophie’s Art Tour, she leads visitors through the museums and galleries of Hanoi and HCMC. Previously, she studied journalism and international relations in London.
The exhibition will open on 10 Mar and be on display until 02 Apr 2017, 9 am – 6 pm at Goethe Institut, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.