Hanoi photo exhibition captures ‘another’ city

By Nhat Linh November 15, 2019 | 01:21 am PT

An ongoing exhibition of photographs titled “Another city – Public, Private, Secret,” tries to capture the contradictions of a city with a long history.

The exhibition, open Nov. 7 – Dec. 30 at L’Espace Hanoi, features the works of a Frenchman, Joseph Gobin and Vietnamese photographer Nguyen Phuong.

Gobin’s pictures capture moments in a city that are not normally noticed or experienced - an iced tea stall closed at night underneath a shabby canvas, some pitchers on the wall’s edge, plastic chairs, lighters, ice bucket and plastic grocery bags or portraits of smiling people and pensive guests.

Gobin’s photo captures an iced tea stall closed at night underneath a shabby canvas.

Gobin finds Hanoi iced tea symbolic of daily life in a fast growing city that still retains its original features and charms.

The second section of the exhibition is Nguyen Phuong’s collection, that try to pierce the moment in a greater depth, reflecting the photographer’s personal perspective, too. He wants to go beyond the glitter to the cracks behind the façade – in relationship and the city’s physical health.

L’Espace Hanoi is at 24 Trang Tien street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Entrance is free and open to the public.