Photo: Do Phan Hoi

NOW REPRESENTING TUAN VU

Harper’s is pleased to announce the representation of Montreal-based artist, Tuan Vu. The artist is included in the gallery’s forthcoming 2026 Art SG presentation, from January 22–25. His first solo exhibition with the gallery, Still Beauty, remains on view through this Saturday, December 20, at Harper’s Chelsea 534.

Vu is a self-taught artist whose paintings distill emotion through intricately composed scenes of color, light, and pattern. Drawing on the legacy of France’s Nabis painters and Japanese Ukiyo-e, as well as his own wanderlust and multicultural upbringing as a Vietnamese immigrant, Vu constructs dreamlike worlds that evoke a quiet sense of hope and serenity.

Rhythmically articulated expanses of lush flora open onto unassuming, at times barely perceptible figures that function as proxies for the viewer. Balancing the familiar with the fantastical, his paintings unfold through a nuanced material language—silken, gilded surfaces set against impasto brushwork and gesturally punctuated by oil stick. Occasional use of materials such as Japanese paper underscore the exploratory nature of his practice. Collectively, Vu’s work suggests, with gentle clarity, that the breadth of the world matters deeply, serving both as comfort amid seemingly increasing discord and as evidence that human wonder persists.

Tuan Vu, Where the Light Rests, 2025, oil, oil stick, and paper on linen, 72 x 60 inches

Tuan Vu (b. 1971, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) attended University of Montreal in 2016–7, and received a BA from University of Sherbrooke, QC, in 1995. Vu was twice-awarded a grant from Canada Council for the Arts (2024 and 2023); in 2021, he was the recipient of the Luxembourg Art Prize. His work has been the subject of presentations at Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2024); Duran Marshaal Gallery, Montreal (2024); Simard Bilodeau Gallery, Los Angeles (2023); Institut National Art Contemporain, Montreal (2022); and LivArt, Montreal (2021), among other institutions. Most recently, Vu has participated in group exhibitions at Make Room, Los Angeles (2025); Patel Brown, Montreal (2025); Art SG, Singapore (2025 and 2024); The Armory Show, New York (2025 and 2024); Gallery Reveal, Bordeaux (2024); Simard Bilodeau Gallery, Los Angeles (2024 and 2023); Duran Marshaal Gallery, Montreal (2024 and 2023); Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2023); and Maison de culture Sud-Ouest, Montreal (2023). His work has been acquired by institutions, including The Bunker Artspace, Palm Beach; Fidelity Investments, Boston; and Holbar Collection, UK. Vu lives and works in Montreal.

Tuan Vu: Still Beauty, Harper's Chelsea 534 (2025)

Tuan Vu: Still Beauty, Harper's Chelsea 534 (2025)

Tuan Vu: Still Beauty, Harper's Chelsea 534 (2025)

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