 |
| Scattered throughout the room are enigmatic objects at Where It Once Was exhibition at Á Space. Photo courtesy of Á Space |
HÀ NỘI – Where It Once Was is a site-specific exhibition that unfolds, not only in conceptual terms, but also in its physical setting.
The event, which is taking place in Hà Nội’s Long Biên District, brings together artists who have previously exhibited at Á Space and reunites the works that once illuminated its space.
Participating artists are Đặng Thùy Anh, Phạm Cảnh, Nguyễn Thị Diệp, Xuân Hạ, Thạch Hiếu, Lạc Hoàng, Nguyễn Đức Huy, Lazar Lyutakov, Linh San and Tuấn Mami.
Visitors to the exhibition will be treated to beloved artworks by the artists returning to their exact spots, repeating their former positions.
Near the entrance, slightly above eye level, hangs a small, delicate painting by Diệp, with another of her works positioned beside it. Eight Horses Chasing the Winds by Huy gallops across the wall on a screen. On the floor, a square wooden panel, darkened with age and cracked with time, holds the sounds of Anh.
Also in this room is a glass work which, without the hands and mind of Lyutakov, would remain mere household objects. Lyutakov’s works were part of the 58th Venice Biennale, where he represented Bulgaria together with Rada Boukova, the 6th Moscow Biennale, 1st Vienna Biennale and 1st Linz Triennale.
He has realised solo exhibitions at the Secession Vienna, Monade Contemporary Kyoto, the Galerie Charim Vienna and the SIMIAN Copenhagen, among others.
“We hope to share beautiful moments at the exhibition,” said the exhibition curator, Vũ Đức Toàn.
“We glance back at the past and see that the works are still there, yet not quite the same anymore. It is breathing for today, just as the artists are – so long as we are still breathing, we are still making and thinking about art, whether persistently or only from time to time.”
Á Space is an independent non-profit art space and a community of art practitioners engaged in experimental practices based in Long Biên, Hà Nội.
It was established in 2018 by Tuấn Mami, Rory Gill and Lê Dụng Hiệp with the mission of supporting and developing independent local artists in Việt Nam, a place where the conditions for the arts are often challenging and infrastructures and resources limited.
The exhibition runs until July 20 at Alley 59, Ngô Gia Tự Street, Long Biên District, from Friday to Sunday, 3pm – 7pm. VNS
Read original story on Vietnam News