In collaboration with Galerie Quynh (based in Ho Chi Minh City), Manzi Art Space is pleased to present ‘𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑡’ - a display of new work by 𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗵 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴  and 𝗡𝗴𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗰 𝗗𝗮𝘁, two seminal members of the art collective 𝗦𝗮𝗼 𝗟𝗮 (*)

Featuring the duo’s new paintings which were first exhibited last year at Galerie Quynh, this version for Hanoi  will unfold a new presentation with alterations and compromises to adapt into a different space. Rather than just a replicated display to reach new audiences, or merely a shift in physical location, ‘𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑡’  at Manzi, on the other hand, is a daunting diversion, a swing to keep up the spirit of scrappy improvisation and the spontaneous energy that inspired Sao La Collective's founding. Simply tear up the old draft, erase all the labels of ‘what has been/supposed to be’ in order to freely dream about ‘what can be’ and explore and embrace ‘what is not seen’...

THE WORLD AS A DRAFT

A display by Do Thanh Lang & Nguyen Duc Dat

➖ Opening: 6.30 Friday night 14 March 2025

➖ On display: 11.00 AM - 07.00 PM (Tue-Sun) from 15 March until 13 April 2025

📍 Manzi Exhibition Space, No. 2 Ngõ Hàng Bún

Free Entrance

Do’s paintings take us to ambiguous places inhabited by anonymous characters often engaged in some sort of absurdity; sometimes violent or disturbing acts of transgression play out. Seemingly playful scenes unfold against a backdrop of bright colors and shiny surfaces. Do Thanh Lang often finds visual sources from the internet and news media and then transposes the images to imagined (non)locales. The scenes are not as whimsical as they initially seem but are filled with a tension that seeps through the layers of paint and resin.

While Do’s paintings communicate a sense of cool detachment, Nguyen Duc Dat’s works are more emotional and visceral. Everyday (offline) life, moments of beauty and strangeness in the world, and global socio-political conflicts are depicted with a rawness that moves between tragicomedy and honest, profound storytelling.

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(*) Sao La is a non-profit and independent art project/collective in Southern Vietnam, focusing on relationships among artists, community and art itself.

As the nature of a "space traveler," not based on a fixed location, Sao La carries two main objectives: making contemporary art accessible to the general Vietnamese public through educational programs and nurturing Vietnam’s growing creative community. The project will serve not only as a project that organizes exhibitions, film and video screenings, workshops and lectures but also as an informal place for Vietnamese artists to experiment, challenge and develop their creative practices.

Found only in the Truong Son mountain range of Vietnam and Laos, Sao La is the name of one of the world’s rarest mammals. The word ‘sao’ on its own can signify ‘star’ or pose the questions ‘how?’ ‘what?’ or ‘why?’ ‘La’ suggests a shriek, call or shout.

https://saolacollective.weebly.com/