Calculus Exercise #6/5 is Huy An’s second solo exhibition since 78 Rhythms - his first solo show at Galerie Quynh in Saigon in 2014.

Known for his quiet, powerful paintings, installations and performance pieces, Huy An’s practice tends towards a minimal way of expression, using dark materials sourced from everyday life with an association to memories and personal experiences.

In this exhibition, Huy An shows small, simple, serene and poetic paintings on Dó paper portraying iconic rural sceneries alongside a continuation of his intriguing experimentation with conceptual writings.

Inspired by landscapes or historical relics in the North of Vietnam like Tản Viên Mountain or Hoan Kiem Lake or Phủ Giày and by lingering memories and symbols associated with countryside folktales, like the betel nut, spinach fences, the shadow of a buffalo or a village hall, originating from the Red River Delta, Huy An's conceptual texts work as a visual archive of his memories and histories that relate to the social and political context of Northern Vietnam.

The vague, hopeless yet unquestionably determined acts described with every single sentence manifests the artist’s nostalgia for the old days as well as a melancholic irony as a response to the fast change of the country.

The exhibition is an intricate poetic journey where the artist himself wanders through time and space and the past and the present, while delving into the culture and history of the country.

*This exhibition is part of Manzi’s art programme supported by the Danish Embassy.