Xuan Vu Le

My name is Xuan Vu, an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK.

I gained a Bachelor degree in Monumental Art at the University of Art and Design, Hanoi, in the year of 2018. During the time there, I developed an interest in Character Design and Storytelling although these interests do not relate to my professional field. However, with the knowledge gained in college about the fundamental principles of Art, mainly including still-life drawing, human figures and colorful composition, and Monumental Art with various practical materials, such as Stain glass, Ceramic Mosaic, and other textures, I am capable of analyzing complex structures of architectures, modifying color combinations, and managing visual layouts, which greatly contribute to two main subjects that intrigue me. To support my interest, I picked up supporting digital skills, including Photoshop Adobe and Illustration Adobe, by enrolling in a Graphic Design course in Arena Multimedia. In addition, I took part in some short-term courses in Schoolism, such as Gesture Drawing - Alex Woo and Painting with light and colour - Dice Tsutsumi, and other courses in Vietnam. After graduation, I started to work as an illustrator and graphic designer with a belief that realistic practices with diverse backgrounds in the working environment might be the key to developing critical thinking,art education, and communication skills.
After a year of working, I had a feeling that my targets have not been achieved as I expected. I decided to take a hiatus for self-discovery and self-reflection. I used the time to support a few social activities with my art and design. It helps me to encounter people from all walks of life and understand more about the diversity of art. These non-profit activities showed me that Art is not only an aesthetic term, but it also reflects cultural-historical and life values. At the same time, I am aware that my congenital deafness has shaped my entire life since being a deaf person inherently creates a big challenge to pursue my art career and educational development. As for me, my voice can rise through Art to express my feelings and thoughts as well as serve as an essential means to bring about educational improvements. Today, I think of it not as a hindrance but my own identity as an artist. The social project of “Hearing by The Eyes”, contributing to the major project of “Bridging the Gap” established from Oxfam Vietnam, was an example that I made every effort to make a work of art to approach both hearing people and deaf ones, particularly Sign Language Alphabet, and the advertising poster.
I began to believe that Art should be demonstrated by joy along with pure curiosity. This led me to study a MA degree of Visual Communication at Birmingham City.