Art Vietnam Gallery is thrilled to be a part of Hanoi’s first photo biennale, Photo Hanoi ’23.
A Decade of Exposure by Nguyen The Son
For this exhibition at Art Vietnam Gallery, Nguyen The Son has selected 8 photo reliefs that he made 10 years ago and then the artist will make response works in photo relief as they exist now in 2023.
Witnessing the change visually in the environment is an exciting revelation for the public but especially for the photographer as the city plunges into modernity with a rapidity that seems boundless with energy and creativity. As Son researched numerous structures in the city from ancient communal houses and pagodas, communal living quarters, shop houses, old French villas that give way to modern day living and commercial activities, the artist could see how the spaces must evolve to conform to new tastes and ways of living.
Delicate iron grill work on windows and balustrades of the old French villas give way to broad modern store front windows that showcase the latest styles of fashion and merchandise.
Wooden lanterns and gas lights evolve as flashing Neon in bright colors flickering day and night. Private internal courtyards yield to the economy of space and become rising multi-level towers of housing to accommodate the influx of inhabitants eager to join the new emerging economy leaving behind the rice fields and agricultural way of life.
Here and there we still can see glimpses of the past. A small tea shop hidden in a dark alleyway that twists and turns between the soaring towers of the apartment complexes becomes a faint memory of the rich texture of the ancient past. Honoring the past while celebrating the new, Son manages to capture the quintessential nature of the Vietnamese life that modulates with changes on the surface but remains solidly contained in the spirit and the soul of the ancient city of Hanoi.
Please come join us for this exciting and revelatory exhibition that portrays the energy and transformation of the ancient city of Hanoi into the thriving metropolis it is today, a model of transformation and development for all of SE Asia.
We look forward to celebrating with all of you!
Suzanne Lecht and Art Vietnam team.
