Veronika Radulovic

"A magic dwells in each beginning“. The beginnings of the independent curatorial practice of exhibitions at the Goethe-Institut is closely associated with Veronika Radulovic (*1954). To this day, she is the most important mediator in the art dialogue between Germany and Vietnam. She studied visual communication in Bielefeld and became aware of Vietnamese artists in 1993 during an artist residency in Singapore. Thus she decided to spend a few months in Hanoi to learn Vietnamese lacquer painting, privately organized by herself. She was supported by a lacquer teacher and a deaf-mute girl who worked in a lacquer factory.

The new spirit in Hanoi's art scene inspired her not only to create her lacquer piece "Red River" - a work about time and change - but also her first joint exhibition with artists Le Hong Thai and Bui Huu Hung at the city's 29 Hang Bai Gallery. This new opportunity for artist exchange led to a first DAAD-sponsored guest lectureship at the Hanoi Art Academy in 1994/95, as well as further guest lectures and presentations at the universities in Hue and Ho Chi Minh City. Until 1999 and 2004/05 she taught Art supported by the DAAD. Her professional and personal involvement in the art scene led to over two dozen exhibitions and many more friendships. Together with her Hanoi artist colleagues, Veronika Radulovic has exhibited in Hanoi since 1994: at the Hanoi Art Academy (1996, 2003, 2004, 2005), at the old and new Nha San (2003, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2018), and the Goethe Institute (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008). Of course, she made sure that these encounters did not remain a one-way street.

Veronika Radulovic arranged for Vietnamese creative artists to exhibit in Münster (Museum für Lackkunst), Berlin (Haus der Kulturen der Welt, ifa Galerie), Bremen (Hochschule für Kunst), Bielefeld (Kunsthalle Bielefeld and Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Forschung). She has given lectures and workshops on Vietnamese art in Germany, Finland, Georgia, Norway, Sweden and Singapore.

She presented her archive of Vietnamese art for the first time in 2000 at the Haus der Kunst in Munich. She has published essays for various publications, including Singapore Art Museum, Bui Gallery Hanoi, and Connect Vietnam. Kerber Verlag published her first book in 2006: Sicherheitsabstand. Vietnam. Kunst. Politik. Freundschaften. Eine Annäherung. Together with Annette Bhagwati, she published the illustrated book "DON'T CALL IT ART" in 2021. It is a contemporary document about the restart of Vietnamese art in the 1990s. The book is mainly devoted to works, art performances and installations by Truong Tân, Nguyễn Minh Thành and Nguyễn Quang Huy

For Vietnam’s artists, Radulovic remains a significant contact person and advisor. I asked her how many overnight stays she had from Vietnamese artists over the years.: "I'm sure it was about a thousand," she says with a twinkle in her eye.

Veronika Radulovic

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