Photography is always an art that creates space for imagination, discovery and emotion. "May" means the month of May, the brilliant summer, the red phoenix flowers, the bustling sound of cicadas. Amidst those sounds, to make your soul more fresh and gentle, the exhibition May by Noirfoto was born.
May Exhibition displays 44 photographic artworks with diverse themes, unique techniques, and rich stories and emotions from 5 photographers: Pham Tuan Ngoc, Truong Cao Hoang, Nguyen Thanh Dung, Tom Hricko (USA), Couderc Jean-françois (France).
May exhibition photographers pose for a photo with the organizers of Hanoi Studio Gallery and the French Institute in Hanoi. (From left to right: Pham Tuan Ngoc, organizer representative, Couderc Jean-françois, Nguyen Thanh Dung, Truong Cao Hoang, organizer representatives)
The May exhibition, organized by Noirfoto, took place within the framework of Photo Hanoi'23 - the first international photography Biennale in Vietnam, initiated by the French Institute in Vietnam and sponsored by the Hanoi People's Committee. Each photo collection at the exhibition takes viewers through different levels, both contrasting and harmonious with nature. Specifically, the three photographic works in the May exhibition are: Silver Lining, Light of Illusion, Eternal Flow.
With 3 photo collections with diverse themes, unique techniques, and many emotional stories, but still aiming at a common goal of honoring photography as a unique, interesting and potential artistic language for exploration and creativity.
Sharing with Travellive, photographer Truong Cao Hoang said: "The theme of nature in the photos is still the main theme. Some works look shabby but they have vitality in them and sometimes create something unrealistic and abstract."
"Drop" by photographer Pham Tuan Ngoc
"Bird's Nest and Barbed Wire" by photographer Couderc Jean-françois
"One and Only" by Truong Cao Hoang
"Rest" by Tom Hricko
Silver Lining is a collection of black and white photographs on silver gelatine, shot on film by a group of authors and hand-developed in the darkroom of Noirfoto. Silver Lining is an icon, implying the connection between photographers, hand-developers and photography lovers as well as the optimism that the art of manual photography will continue to thrive with its inherent aesthetic values.
More than 20 works from 5 authors in the Silver Lining series were all shot with black and white film, manually projected and told stories with different perspectives of nature with gentle and eternal beauty. Consistent in material, the works with many different emotional levels, presented to the audience as a harmonious symphony, bringing a smooth experience throughout, with unique visual beauty in the age of digital photography.
"Calm" by photographer Truong Cao Hoang in the series "Silver Lining"
Light of Illusion is a series of works by Tom Hricko, printed in grain on photographic paper. Including works created over many years, spanning the Imperial City of Hue, Vung Tau beach and the suburbs of New Haven, USA by American art photographer and educator Tom Hricko. He loves Vietnam and has lived and created here since 1994. With more than 40 years of practicing art photography, Tom Hricko is pleased to introduce this unique series of works at the May exhibition.
After 40 years of practicing fine art photography, Tom Hricko shares his lifelong philosophy: “Photography is a process by which I am able to extract an image from an accepted or consensual reality and transform that image into a representation of another, perhaps parallel, reality. The aspects of the photographic process that allow this to happen are the application and manipulation of optics, light, filters, color, tone, paper or other supports, and size, among other variables. The result is a physical object that offers a glimpse into a new and separate reality.”
Works in the series “Light of Illusion”
Eternal Flow is a series of works by Pham Tuan Ngoc, made with the traditional Vietnamese cyanotype printing technique on silk. It shows different forms of water to tell the story of the most basic, ancient and important element of the earth, and also the story of love.
Cyanotype and silk are both in harmony with water. Cyanotype is not only blue like water, but the images created with this material are also created in water. And although in painting, silk is mainly stretched on a frame to become "stiff" and static, the silk in these works is processed to be thin, light, soft, smooth, delicate, flexible and "free" like water.
"Other works often focus on What, but this exhibition brings How and understanding to Why. There are people who only care about capturing content, but art photography does not capture content but it expresses ideas. When you create a work of art, it will bring many different emotions," said photographer Pham Tuan Ngoc.
Cyanotype print on silk from the “Eternal Flow” series by photographer Pham Tuan Ngoc
With 3 collections: Silver Lining, Eternal Flow and Light of Illusion, Noirfoto takes viewers through moments between humans and nature, both contrasting and harmonious so that each person can immerse themselves more in those moments.
Through the May exhibition, Noirfoto hopes to bring new emotions to the photography-loving community, while affirming the role and classic aesthetic value of art photography and manual photography in the digital age. Within the framework of the May exhibition, Noirfoto also brings other interesting photography events for the art-loving community such as: Discussion, Chat with artists, Cyanotype Workshop, Photowalk, Workshop...
The May Exhibition is open to the public and takes place at Hanoi Studio Gallery, 23-25 Mac Dinh Chi, Truc Bach Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi from May 7 to May 21, 2023.
Exhibition space
