Hanoi stories from the perspective of photography and architecture

The exhibition is part of the Photo Hanoi '25 International Photography Biennale organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports in coordination with the French Institute in Vietnam.

The exhibition takes place at the ancient villa space at 46 Hang Bai. Photo: Organizing Committee

In “The Turns”, artist Nguyen The Son introduces works depicting the shapes of French, Indochinese, and Art Deco style villas located at crossroads and five-way intersections in Hanoi .

These once-famous buildings are witnesses to the history of urban development. Over the years, they have blended into modern life, many villas have changed their appearance to adapt to the needs of their new owners.

Artist Nguyen The Son and architect Tran Huy Anh share about the exhibition. Photo: Organizing Committee

The public will see the familiar style of artist Nguyen The Son when using relief photography to peel off the traces of time on each house. The author combines laser engraving techniques on the surface of mica boxes to recreate the original beauty of the works according to architectural drawings.

If artist Nguyen The Son sees with the eyes of a storyteller, architect Tran Huy Anh approaches the city with the intuition of an urban “archaeologist”. He combines architectural drawing, perspective drawing, analysis of French-era planning maps and aerial photographs to restore the original shape of houses that have been deformed or disappeared.

Enjoy the works at the exhibition. Photo: Organizing Committee

Special effects of the works. Photo: BTC

Artist Nguyen The Son said that the project “The Turns” was carried out in nearly 6 months with a deep love for Hanoi and a long-term passion for art. Every step was carefully done from laser engraving, building the mica box, to arranging the light, to create a multi-layered visual effect with the intersection of the past and present.

Works at the exhibition. Photo: Organizing Committee

“I hope viewers will see that urban memories are not only in images or drawings, but are also vivid in the surrounding space, in every window, roof tile, and intersection. When standing in front of each work, we not only see the architecture, but also feel the flow of time, the connection between the past and the present, between people and the city,” artist Nguyen The Son expressed.

The exhibition takes place in an old French villa located at a crossroads, creating a close connection between the works and the context of the places in which they were created.

The exhibition "The Turns" runs until November 30.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/chuyen-ha-noi-tu-goc-nhin-nhiep-anh-va-kien-truc-722761.html