Nguyễn Mạnh HùngA solo exhibition by NGUYỄN MẠNH HÙNG 07.07 - 28.07.2013 One Planet - July 28, 2013 July 6, 2013 Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng A collaboration of manzi art space with Galerie Quynh (HCMC), 'One Planet' is a solo exhibiton by visual artist Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng - one of the most important young artists in Vietnam. ‘One Planet’ features Hùng's new sculptural installations which was on show in Ho Chi Minh City early this year and a series of his paintings that the artist himself refers to as 'Mauvais Gout' (‘bad taste') entitled ‘We’ve been here’. Drawing from his own personal history growing up in a cramped Soviet style apartment block in Hanoi, Hùng reflects on the idea of community, the conflicts that exist within and without constructed societies, and the complexities of civic development and individual responsibility. How is a community defined? Is the traditional idea of community just hollow rhetoric or an ideal that can evolve and adapt to modern day Vietnam? Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng confronts these issues with his trademark irony and humor highlighting the oftentimes absurdity of human behavior and endeavor. 'One Planet' in Hanoi is supported by the Prince Claus Fund for Culture & Development ARTWORKS GALLERY https://www.facebook.com/notes/1734658223368105/ OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng

‘Tân hậu trường’ là dự án hỗ trợ và phát triển hoạt động sân khấu, tập trung vào kịch nói trên địa bàn Hà Nội, do XplusX Studio khởi xướng với sự đồng hành của The Goethe-Institut Hà Nội và Manzi Art Space. 'Tân hậu trường' kêu gọi các đề xuất tham dự để phát triển các In collaboration with XplusX Studio, we launch a new theatre project entitled 'TÂN HẬU TRƯỜNG' (NEW BACKSTAGE) with the aim of supporting the independent theatrical & performing art practice in Hanoi. To nurture an OPEN SPACE an all-embracing residence for all the 'First-time", 'Not-Yet', 'To-Remain-Undone', or 'Waiting-To-Be-Expressed',... TÂN HẬU TRƯỜNG (NEW BACKSTAGE) is a theatre project initiated and curated by XplusX Studio , organized by the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and Manzi Art Space , that aims at fostering independent theatrical and performing art practices in Hanoi. NEW BACKSTAGE invites proposals from any individual or group of creative practitioners: Professional artists, students, beginners, and explorers who want to professionalize their careers are all welcome to submit their theater or performance ideas. open call for 1st phrase submission open call for 1st phrase submission open call for 1st phrase submission open call for 1st phrase submission Deadline: 31 August 2024 Objectives ACCOMPANY individuals and groups of practitioners, encouraging them to realize their ideas into diverse performances with no limitation of genres or methods (it can be an adaptation, an original script or experimental stage) ASSIST the participants during production process, equip them with expert consultation, technical, logistical & financial support, and provide aids throughout the management and organization of the performance events ACTIVATE a fresh, less formal presentation of theatre & performing art, challenging it outside the confined space of official opera house or drama theater, and making this art accessible and relatable for public audience PROMOTE theatre arts in cultural and contemporary art scene of Hanoi BUILD a sustainable community of audiences and theatre practitioners who engage, dialogue and support each other ESTABLISH the role of theater as a responsive, reflective instrument for social dialogues and the creation of an inclusive art environment Objectives Production duration Production Duration Aiming to be an engaging long-term project, NEW BACKSTAGE will run its first edition for one year (06.2024 - 07.2025) The FIRST OPEN CALL for proposal submission is open from June 2024 until August 31, 2024 Selected proposals will undergo a minimum TWO-MONTH-LONG PRODUCTION RUN and be introduced into official performances at manzi spaces Result of the project: an inviting ART PROGRAM OF PERIODIC PERFORMANCES for local audience with a regularity of 1 new production launched every 2 or 3 months and each production to be peformed for 3 - 4 times logistics Logistics support from manzi 1. Manzi provides VENUES and supports part of the FACILITIES for the selected proposal during the production process and performing events 2. Manzi provides assistance within its capabilities to meet the TECHNICAL & HUMAN RESOURCES requirements 3. Manzi is responsible for all the PROMOTION & COMMUNICATIONS campaigns and ORGANIZATION of public events Technical & expertise support from XplusX Studio 1. In the role of an accompanist, XplusX Studio provides CONSULTATION (only as non-interfering guidelines ) throughout the whole production process, assisting in finalizing the script, casting, staging, sound & lighting design, etc. 2. XplusX Studio also supports the participants with their networks, helps them CONNECT WITH ARTISTS, CREATIVE COMMUNITIES, PRACTITIONERS & RESERCHERS in diverse related disciplines such as literature, history, performing arts, sound art,... expertise growth Growth & development support from the Goethe-Institut 1. Throughout the production process, the Goethe-Insitut contributes to the EXPERTISE and PROFESSIONAL TRAINING of the participants through workshop and coaching program with international partners and experts 2. The Goethe-Institut also provides DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES through international networking and professional overseas exchange activities 3. As a long-time collaborator, the Goethe-Institut can assist the participants and their project group/collective on STRATEGIC ISSUES and SUSTAINABLE PLANNING for a long career path financial 1. Each selected proposal will receive financial assistance for their production. The offered grants will be considered and decided based on the budget plan and production process Financial support 2. Performances may be ticketed, and the proceeds will be be utilized to cover the cost of administration & event organization Eligibility of applicant Applicants can be either an individual or a group, regardless of practice field, expertise or experience Applicants must have ability to work collaboratively Submitted proposal must be original and can be from either individual or a collective of creators Preference will be given to ideas and proposals, which include: Original script writing Staging designed with site-specific, context-responsive elements that are interactive with the manzi’s spaces * There is no age or place of residence restriction on the applicants. Application package The submissions must include: A brief description of the proposed idea, including the budget plan (no more than three A4 pages), A draft sketch of the performance (which can be in the form of illustration or demo video or filming footage) or a draft script Images/video/audio files of past or present works with any available links to relevant websites or social media accounts (optional) Portfolio and updated CV of applicant(s) [REQUIRED IF APPLICANTS OPERATED AS A GROUP]: Statement about the method of working: One-A4-page description of how you have been working as an artist group/collective and the effective formula you have developed and defined for your own group. Please also specify the collaboration's components that you are still unclear about, as well as how you would need advice and inspiration for your practices in the performing arts. *Language: English or Vietnamese Submission process Please send your application package to manzihanoi@gmail.com , cc studioxplusx@gmail.com with subject line as 'Tham gia dự án TÂN HẬU TRƯỜNG 2024’ (2024 NEW BACKSTAGE PROJECT - SUBMISSION) Please use Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer to upload large size data and send over the link application guidelines >>> Download Notes: 1. Proposals will not be returned to applicant(s) 2. Proposals must be original. Any copyright infringement is unjustifiable and will result in immediate disqualification 3. Proposals will be evaluated by our jury board (representatives from the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, XplusX Studio and Manzi Art Space) 4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: The participants of NEW BACKSTAGE project will retain their rights, after the production in this project is completed, to continue to develop, adapt, and restage their works for any reproduction and performance in their future practices, with appropriate acknowledgement of NEW BACKSTAGE project 5. CONFIDENTIALITY: By submitting an idea to this open call, the entrant acknowledges that the proposed idea is confidential and proprietary information and that the entrant retains ownership of it. The entrant accepts that the proposal will not be shared with any third parties without the entrant's prior written consent. ORGANIZERS To learn more about programs of Goethe-Institut >>> The Goethe-Institut Hanoi was founded in 1997. Its main intention is to foster cultural exchange between Vietnam, Germany and Europe. In this perspective, we organize a broad range of cultural activities, presenting German culture in Asia and intensifying the cultural dialogue between our countries. The Goethe-Institut Hanoi focuses its programme work on seven main areas, which are: Migration & diaspora, Postcolonialism & fair culture, Inclusion, Equality for women & LGBTIQ-persons, Urbanization & urban development, Sustainability in documentary films, Digitalization & society. Established in December 2012 as an independent art space aiming to support contemporary Vietnamese art, Manzi encourages diversity, creativity and co-creation in the arts & culture. Through a wide range of activities, including visual art exhibitions, talks, workshops, movie screenings, music and dance performances, and public art projects, after over a decade of operation, Manzi has established itself not only as a space for contemporary artists (both established and emerging) to realize their new experiments but also as a must-following place for local art-lovers. Manzi has a collaborative approach, working together with local artists, intellectuals and social activists, as well as international cultural institutions. Check out manzi's programs and events >>> XplusX Studio is an independent creative collective in the field of performing arts and scenography, founded by stage director and scenographer Ha Nguyen Long. XplusX Studio was born with the desire to contribute to creating a foothold of traditional Vietnamese performing arts for domestic and international audiences and, at the same time, to create an interdisciplinary community of performing arts and decentralized theatre in Vietnam. XplusX Studio focuses on both researching and experimenting with performing art forms, traditional to modern, creating meaningful references, connections and reflections between Eastern and Western performing arts. We aim to contribute to an ecosystem of sustainable communities for practicing performing arts that is taking shape in Vietnam. Do you need further assistance? Please leave your message below, we will contact soon Email Your question or message for us Submit Thank you for your interest in New Backstage project. Manzi will get back to you via email Phone SUPPORT HOTLINE Theatre project 2024 - 2025

mixed media Nguyễn Đức Phương biography Nguyen Duc Phuong (aka. Phuong Gio) was born in 1982 in Uoc Le - a village specialised in making giò chả (Vietnamese sausages); hence his other namesake, ‘Phương Giò’. After his graduation from the Vietnam Fine Art University in 2007, Phuong spent his time focusing on experimentation, eschewing participation in artist groups or exhibitions. Often uses natural colors originated from soil or flowers and plants for his paintings on dzo paper (a traditional handmade paper), Phương’s works is simple but delicate and full of life. “In all of Phuong’s works, the way he sees the world is saturated with nostalgia, decadence, a mourning for things past but also full of Joie de vivre. Destruction and decay are inevitable in the circle of natural movement but it is also a hope for a rebirth. Overall, that nonchalant, carefree and simple spirit in Phuong’s artistic creations is his statement: Just by being.” Phuong’s most recent notable exhibitions include: ‘ The Foliage 2’ – Vincom Centre of Contemporary Art, Hanoi – 2018; solo exhibition ‘Just by being’- Manzi Art Space, Hanoi – 2017; ‘Looking for the Divine Beings’ group exhibition in the series CRAFTING HOME – Nha San Collective, Hanoi - 2017 works This artist currently has no available work at Manzi works Year of the Wood Snake NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2024 57 (W) x 68 (L) x 9 (H) cm lacquer on found object Enquire works Pagoda NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2024 64.5 x 33 cm color pigments on dzo paper pasted on canvas Enquire works Salute to Spring NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2024 44.5 x 26 cm color pigments on dzo paper Enquire works How Covid-19 has changed Vietnamese art history - Nguyễn Sáng NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2020 19 x 27,5 cm ink & watercolor on paper Enquire works How Covid-19 has changed Vietnamese art history - Lê Phổ NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2020 19 x 27,5 cm ink & watercolor on paper Enquire works Background check NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2021 40 x 40 cm dzo paper, natural colors, golden & silver leaf Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (12-1983) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (12-1980) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (11-1980) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (8-1981) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (8-1979) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (5-1980) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (5-1982) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (3-1983) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works The Old Master and His Student go swimming in the river NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2024 62 x 43 cm color pigments on dzo paper Enquire works Year of the Dragon NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2024 54 x 28 cm color pigments on dzo paper Enquire works How Covid-19 has changed Vietnamese art history - Trần Trung Tín NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2020 19 x 27,5 cm ink & watercolor on paper Enquire works How Covid-19 has changed Vietnamese art history - Nguyễn Sáng NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2020 19 x 27,5 cm ink & watercolor on paper Enquire works How Covid-19 has changed Vietnamese art history - Nguyễn Tiến Chung NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2020 19 x 27,5 cm ink & watercolor on paper Enquire works A morden folk song NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 84 x 150 cm natural colors & resin from Diospyros lotus on silk Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (12-1981) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (11-1979) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (10-1981) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (9-1981) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (7-1982) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (6-1982) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire works Strive to survive till dawn (4-1982) NGUYỄN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG 2019 20 x 30 cm ink & natural color pigment on old magazine Enquire related Catching Faces Faint Traces the sky, the sand, the lashing waves following the stone wall and we found an electric generator 6𝒗➡️¹/² The world as a draft The Fifth Cardinal Direction Spatium 47 Days, Sound-less in spaces of everyscape, at time without end </3 Hồi Sóng Birdsong on our pathway vol. 4 Entrusted Conjectures Hanoi 1985 - 2015, In The Years Of Forgetting Then and Now, Hanoi streets in transition 'Neo-Romanticism' More than Human #1 Arca Noa no-think The Four Subjects A saga of unrealised projects The dreamer: heterotopia, tabula rasa, noble silence (a part of ongoing project 0395A.ĐC) Through the looking glass what's going on at Manzi Tình See more October 5, 2025 Tình See more October 4, 2025 Bắt mặt | Catching Faces See more October 4, 2025 Tình See more October 3, 2025 Artist Talk vs Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai See more September 27, 2025 Art Tour | Những Vệt Mờ / Faint Traces See more September 10, 2025 Những Vệt Mờ | Faint Traces See more September 6, 2025 Between the Strings See more August 5, 2025 sóng vỗ cát trời | the sky, the sand, the lashing waves See more August 1, 2025 Nguyên (âm) đơn See more July 20, 2025

Quách Huy BắcA solo exhibition by QUÁCH BẮC 16.08 – 15.09.2019 Falling into the Horizon - September 15, 2019 August 16, 2019 Quách Huy Bắc The exhibition features Quách Bắc's new series of small sized oil paintings and a site-specific installation on the second floor of manzi art space. The works reflect the artist's observations of absurd circumstances in Vietnam today, which he explores for traces of fear and hidden hopes. Utilising both empty mono-coloured spaces and clearly defined subjects, Bắc provokes a host of emotions with his series of paintings. The figures on the canvas react to their absurd situations as if performing on a stage. By illustrating different aspects of life and a variety of contemporary issues in each of his pieces, regardless of format, Bắc conveys bite-sized satire, a rather pessimistic reading of the human condition and doubt for what modern society can tolerate. Complementing the paintings, Bắc’s site specific installation entitled ‘Valse’ (French for waltz) demonstrates an extremely dark view about the past, which forever endures in the minds of Vietnamese people. ‘Falling into the Horizon’ is Quách Bắc’s 2nd solo exhibition since ‘The Sky of Fame’- his first solo show in Saigon in 2016. ARTWORKS GALLERY “This is how I avoid confrontation with the disappointment of reality. We are decaying in a thousand different ways, are seeing dreams go unfulfilled, wounds that never healed and have therefore lost our faith in an ideal society.” - Quách Bắc talks about his practice process * About 'The Balance' - one of the oil paintings The artwork was inspired by a North Korean propaganda showcase that I came across on the Internet. I picked one particular detail of the showcase - a significant moment, and depicted it by painting: a male performer wearing military uniform with a flag in his hand, doing acrobats on the stage. The movement happens in a flash, as the performer lifts himself and the flag into the air, falls down, then alights. That when the performer tries to maintain balance as he is landing reminds us of the insecurity of symbols/values set in our society. * 'Valse' - a site-specific installation This site specific installation entitled ‘Valse’ (French for waltz) demonstrates an extremely dark view about the past, which forever endures in the minds of Vietnamese people. Within a small, restricted space, a procession of tiny statues of an iconic hero are frozen in the same action. They are on the verge of barging into each other, yet never able to converge. Though capable of only a single gesture, the figures to seem to want to move within the room they have been placed in. Their futile attempts hampered by the furniture that is also present. I gave the imagery the name of a dance to provide harmony – albeit choreographed - for these unpleasing yet earnest figures. For is it not the repetition of all things that makes up the rhythms and melodies of each of our lives? OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Quách Huy Bắc

Bàng Nhất LinhA solo show by BÀNG NHẤT LINH 20.10 - 05.11.2018 Summer Grasses - November 5, 2018 October 20, 2018 Bàng Nhất Linh “Summer grasses, All that remains Of soldiers' dreams” - Basho This is the 6th project and 5th solo show by Linh. After the show in Hanoi, the work is to be exhibited in Saigon, as a part of a dual exhibition - a collaboration of Bang Nhat Linh and Wu Chi-Tsung - a Taiwanese artist, hosted by MotPlus(*) ‘Summer grasses’ is Linh’s most recent work - an installation artwork which revisits and references his previous unexhibited work - ‘Hero’. ‘Hero’ created out from 2010 to 2012 was inspired by the famous naval Battle of Bach Dang - one of the greatest victories in Vietnamese war history. The artwork focuses on a large 8.5m model which was created to be just as a fragment from a Chinese battleship would appear, hanging suspended on wooden stakes, to evoke an illusion for the viewer of standing in the river bed. However, the project remained created yet unexhibited for many reasons and has existed in creation and concept for the artist alone. The installation illuminates the famous poem entitled ‘Nam Quốc Sơn Hà’ - The Country in the South (**) written in light and shadow, whilst we observe a forsaken project, through the objects shown and seen, though seemingly common and natural at first glance they repose within a situational irony...stories within stories… all set in idyllic surroundings filled and juxtaposed with a rhythmic yet melancholy atmosphere – as in their namesake Haiku poem by Basho. *‘Nam Quốc Sơn Hà’ - ‘The Country in the South’ (Chinese characters: 南國山河): This anonymous poem is one of the best known literature pieces in Vietnamese history. Written in a form of classical Chinese poetry called seven-character-quatrain (a form of regulated verse with four lines of seven characters each), it is known as ‘The Very First Declaration of Vietnam’s Independence’. Legend describes that the poem was read aloud to divinities before and during battles to boost troops morale when Vietnam fought against the invasion from the North as long ago as the 10th Century AD. The show is part of Manzi's Art Programme supported by the Embassy of Denmark. ARTWORKS GALLERY OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Bàng Nhất Linh

A Manzi & Work Room Four Production. A Place to buy affordable ART. A collection of sketches, photographs, illustrations, paintings - works, ideas, mediums & meanings, questions and responses by some of the finest creative talents working in Hanoi today. VIETNAM’S ONLY AFFORDABLE ART FAIR ART FOR YOU IS A PLACE TO BUY AFFORDABLE ART ART FOR YOU is an art fair and showcase that is geared towards selling Art at prices the majority can afford, removing the sometimes-elitist nature of more traditional Art Gallery sales and create an event that is enjoyable, exciting and welcoming for those looking to pick up a bargain or just get some inspiration and discover new artists and their work. ART FOR YOU is a collection of sketches, photographs, illustrations, paintings - works & ideas, mediums & meanings, questions & responses by some of the finest creative talents working in Vietnam today . ART FOR YOU is a way to support your local artists (they deserve it) and keep creativity kicking. ART FOR YOU is a way to keep alternative art spaces open in Vietnam. ART FOR YOU is a place to discover something beautiful and engaging and give it a home. Art For You , the affordable art fair organised by Manzi Art Space and Work Room Four, has proudly reached its 16th edition. The fair will take place at Manzi Art Space - 14 Phan Huy Ich, Ba Dinh. Art For You was founded with the ambition to remunerate artists for their work and support independent art spaces in Hanoi. It is at this time more important than ever to consider how you can support your local artistic community by being a patron of the arts, no matter how small, our prices begin at $25 and are capped at $1500 to make this accessible for all. We hope you consider what an impact buying art from local practitioners can have. The Art For You objective remains as always is to exhibit, promote and sell high quality artwork made by artists living and working in Vietnam to a diverse audience at an attractive price point in an environment that is refreshing, contem porary and welcoming. Art moves people, it brings hope, curiosity and aspiration. Over the course of the last 10 years Art For You has grown into an anticipated art event trusted by artists and audience alike. Art For You has consistently strived to nurture and develop a network of more than 150 artists showcasing over 400 pieces of Art in each fair. We aim to offer you a thoughtfully displayed and well curated selection of Vietnam’s most exciting talent and ensure that both seasoned and novice buyers of art find something extraordinary to take home. ART FOR YOU 16 30 Nov – 10 Dec 2023 9.30AM - 8.00PM everyday Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ích, Ba Đình Free Admission WORLDWIDE SEE MORE OF MANZI Manzi Art Space, Cafe & Art Shop 14 Phan Huy Ích, Ba Đình, Hanoi Manzi Exhibition Space 2 Ngõ Hàng Bún, Ba Đinh, Hanoi Submit

sketch Nguyễn Phương Linh biography Phuong Linh was born and raised at Nha San Studio – the first non-profit studio for experimental art in Vietnam. She has been absorbed in an artistic environment by living among and working with many of the most respected contemporary artists of the Vietnamese art scene. She has demonstrated a deep understanding and involvement in the local art community both as an artist and an art organiser. Phuong Linh’s works are sensual, poetic, fragmented, humble and exalted. Her work contemplates upon the visible and invisible truths, form and time and conveys a pervasive sense of dislocation. They concern stories that have been forgotten or buried or things that are so insignificant that they never reach our subconscious. Phuong Linh has participated in various exhibitions and art projects in Vietnam, Asia, Europe and the US. In 2012 she presented the project ‘Home’ in the exhibition ‘Hinterlands’ at the Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco. In 2013, she participated in the exhibition HIWAR for the ocassion of the 25th anniversary of Darat Al Funnun in Amman, Jordan and she showed at the 2016 Singapore Biennale. works This artist currently has no available work at Manzi works Line Study 1 NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG LINH 2015 26.7 x 12.5 cm pigment ink on paper Enquire works Line Study 2 NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG LINH 2015 33 x 23 cm pigment ink on paper Enquire related Catching Faces Faint Traces the sky, the sand, the lashing waves following the stone wall and we found an electric generator 6𝒗➡️¹/² The world as a draft The Fifth Cardinal Direction Spatium 47 Days, Sound-less in spaces of everyscape, at time without end </3 Hồi Sóng Birdsong on our pathway vol. 4 Entrusted Conjectures Hanoi 1985 - 2015, In The Years Of Forgetting Then and Now, Hanoi streets in transition 'Neo-Romanticism' More than Human #1 Arca Noa no-think The Four Subjects A saga of unrealised projects The dreamer: heterotopia, tabula rasa, noble silence (a part of ongoing project 0395A.ĐC) Through the looking glass what's going on at Manzi Tình See more October 5, 2025 Tình See more October 4, 2025 Bắt mặt | Catching Faces See more October 4, 2025 Tình See more October 3, 2025 Artist Talk vs Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai See more September 27, 2025 Art Tour | Những Vệt Mờ / Faint Traces See more September 10, 2025 Những Vệt Mờ | Faint Traces See more September 6, 2025 Between the Strings See more August 5, 2025 sóng vỗ cát trời | the sky, the sand, the lashing waves See more August 1, 2025 Nguyên (âm) đơn See more July 20, 2025

Lê Quý Tông a new series of paintings by visual artist Lê Quý Tông 'Neo-Romanticism' - April 22, 2023 March 24, 2023 Lê Quý Tông Featuring twenty mixed-media works on canvas and paper, ‘Neo-Romanticism’ marked the return of Lê Quý Tông to manzi after over seven years since his solo show titled ‘True Blue’ (2015) which saw the beginning of his on-going experiment with a ‘input hybrid’ of painting, decorated pattern and found imagery. Along with the participation of a new technique - screen printing in the artist’s practice, this comeback also sees a dramatic change in the color palettes: neither limited to monochromatic color schemes nor restrained in the deep, somber shades as in his previous series ‘True Blue’ and ‘True Gold’ . ‘Neo-Romanticism’ witnesses a bloom in a wide variety of colors, including both bold and subtle, fiery and dusky hues. Yet, what to expect beyond the new method and palette which got an air of Pop Art Style? Further than just the outer expansion in visual accomplishment, can we find any pole vaulting in the inner of this artist’s latest expedition? The first bar to jump over probably is the starting point of all Tông’s paintings - the photographic documentation . These images sourced from historical archives and mass media are easily accessible by an online image search engine. Rather than to intentionally select an image that would anchor his own composition and navigate the viewer’s perception, Lê Quý Tông randomly singles out a photo that he found intriguing as an input element; its original context is of very little significance. It varied from a reliable evidence of a momentous event influenced the course of history to a fragment of manipulative media & information / a dishonest journalistic recording of a person or a conflict (in the past or in the present). The visual source can also be recognizable imagery of popular culture (such as Marvel Comics an Disney characters) or may be borrowed from some religious illustrative motifs and even some propaganda posters. Taken out of their original context, these visual elements once have been appropriated, reassembled together into something beyond space and time which ultimately can erase all boundaries and opposite sides of the initial narratives - no longer exists the enemy, invader & comrade, patriot; justice of war & injustice in war, righteousness & moral weight are all nonsense in the disturbed situation of ‘Neo-Romanticism’. ARTWORKS GALLERY _______________ Besides playing with the massive visual archives by deconstruction & collage, this new body of works by Lê Quý Tông confronts us with a series of new ‘KEYWORDS’ (that can be stated clearly in the form of letters, written texts or presented by figures, drawings) which are LOVE , HEART , ROMANTIC(ISM) , DREAMER , ACROBAT , YOUTH ,… These keywords, together with the overlapping lines, patterns and the bouncing colorful layers on the surface of canvas / paper, construct a particular aesthetic symbolism of the whole series. Then what we see is not ultimately the subjects to be interpreted. Instead, this system of symbols acts as an intermediary that stimulates our imagination and evokes our feelings, thus, thoughts and interpretations can be liberated from political, moral and cultural discourses. Departing from a very specific, prejudiced starting point (available photographic material), through a labor-intensive process of working on layers after layers in which the patience was constantly pushed to the end, the results presented in ‘Neo-Romanticism' are disordered and somewhat abstract reflections, yet in one way or another approaching closer to the essence of the original images / archived reality? Can we see more clearly now when the sight is disturbed, as Roland Barthes suggested in his final book ‘Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography’: “Ultimately — or at the limit — in order to see a photograph well, it is best to look away or close your eyes. 'The necessary condition for an image is sight,'Janouch told Kafka; and Kafka smiled and replied: 'We photograph things in order to drive them out of our minds. My stories are a way of shutting my eyes.” From this perspective, the art practice by Lê Quý Tông offers us a way “to shut our eyes” , and therefore, enable us to resist the dominance and manipulation of the visual information in our chaotic modern age. This also proposes a liberation for Tông himself, in a role of an artist, as a creator of new and an interpreter of the past; he can finally free himself out of the conundrum to justify and represent the questioned-by-him reality, time, history, and memories,.... as in the series ‘True Blue’. With ‘Neo-Romanticism’ the artist has put on a pair of spiritual wings, youthful, audacious; he now embraces both life (past and present) and human beings as a tangle of reality and illusion, passion and brutality, authenticity and violence. Such a bold move, though resulting in a new demanding task imposed on the artist: he must maintain the balance constantly, try not to fall into either side: prophetic pessimism on one hand or tremendous optimism on the other. The situation now is comparable to Lê Quý Tông’s own painting in which we see an acrobat, a dreamer who strives to keep on dreaming while knowing that he is dreaming. OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Lê Quý Tông

silk Nguyễn Thị Hồng Khanh biography Born in 1996, graduated in 2019 from Ho Chi Minh University of Fine Arts (Silk painting major), Nguyen Thi Hong Khanh is one of outstanding young talent among Southern emerging artists. While Intensely lyrical in classical figurative style of Eastern silk painting, Hong Khanh’s artworks have an air of contemporary illustration, with a playful touch of manga & anime art influences. The characters in her paintings, mostly either young ladies or small children, are often placed into a vague fictional surroundings with a glimpse of the familiar boring urban landscapes. These human figures, though seemingly allien like the outsiders yet not lonely, are presented in the most pure configuration, as they are trying to interact with few remained elements of the nature world such as a small honeybee, beetles, a fragile butterfly, blooming flowers, and the sunlight, the dew… Skillful handling the silk material, exquisite taste of vivid color scheme, subtle feminine aesthetic senses, Hong Khanh has been building her own path of art practice, worth expecting in the future. works This artist currently has no available work at Manzi works S i l e n c e NGUYỄN THỊ HỒNG KHANH 2023 65 x 100 cm watercolor on silk Enquire works Still NGUYỄN THỊ HỒNG KHANH 2023 65 x 80 cm watercolor on silk Enquire related Catching Faces Faint Traces the sky, the sand, the lashing waves following the stone wall and we found an electric generator 6𝒗➡️¹/² The world as a draft The Fifth Cardinal Direction Spatium 47 Days, Sound-less in spaces of everyscape, at time without end </3 Hồi Sóng Birdsong on our pathway vol. 4 Entrusted Conjectures Hanoi 1985 - 2015, In The Years Of Forgetting Then and Now, Hanoi streets in transition 'Neo-Romanticism' More than Human #1 Arca Noa no-think The Four Subjects A saga of unrealised projects The dreamer: heterotopia, tabula rasa, noble silence (a part of ongoing project 0395A.ĐC) Through the looking glass what's going on at Manzi Tình See more October 5, 2025 Tình See more October 4, 2025 Bắt mặt | Catching Faces See more October 4, 2025 Tình See more October 3, 2025 Artist Talk vs Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai See more September 27, 2025 Art Tour | Những Vệt Mờ / Faint Traces See more September 10, 2025 Những Vệt Mờ | Faint Traces See more September 6, 2025 Between the Strings See more August 5, 2025 sóng vỗ cát trời | the sky, the sand, the lashing waves See more August 1, 2025 Nguyên (âm) đơn See more July 20, 2025

oil/acrylic Nguyễn Văn Phúc biography Born in 1978, graduated from Hanoi Fine Art University in 2003, Nguyen Van Phuc is among the top emerging Vietnam new generation of artists, who has set a very distinctive direction from the rest. He often paints different characters in a very unfamiliar background with a hint of humor. Using very vibrant colors and topics of everyday life, Phuc depicts his own world of psychological struggles with social changes and contexts of Vietnam in the new era. His 2 works was selected to exhibit in Salt of the Jungle of the Korea Foundation in 2018. works This artist currently has no available work at Manzi works Balance NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2009 - 2024 120 x 150 cm oil on canvas Enquire works The dream war under control of the reason NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2011 146 x 116 cm oil on canvas Enquire works Courtship NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2009 100 x 80 cm oil on canvas Enquire works Artist's Romance NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2008 150 x 120 cm oil on canvas Enquire works Happiness NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2007 80 x 100 cm oil on canvas Enquire works Artificial metaphysical structure NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2015 120 x 150 cm oil on canvas Enquire works The Weak man NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2009 120 x 150 cm oil on canvas Enquire works The Garden of Eden NGUYỄN VĂN PHÚC 2015 120 x 150 cm oil on canvas Enquire related Catching Faces Faint Traces the sky, the sand, the lashing waves following the stone wall and we found an electric generator 6𝒗➡️¹/² The world as a draft The Fifth Cardinal Direction Spatium 47 Days, Sound-less in spaces of everyscape, at time without end </3 Hồi Sóng Birdsong on our pathway vol. 4 Entrusted Conjectures Hanoi 1985 - 2015, In The Years Of Forgetting Then and Now, Hanoi streets in transition 'Neo-Romanticism' More than Human #1 Arca Noa no-think The Four Subjects A saga of unrealised projects The dreamer: heterotopia, tabula rasa, noble silence (a part of ongoing project 0395A.ĐC) Through the looking glass what's going on at Manzi Tình See more October 5, 2025 Tình See more October 4, 2025 Bắt mặt | Catching Faces See more October 4, 2025 Tình See more October 3, 2025 Artist Talk vs Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai See more September 27, 2025 Art Tour | Những Vệt Mờ / Faint Traces See more September 10, 2025 Những Vệt Mờ | Faint Traces See more September 6, 2025 Between the Strings See more August 5, 2025 sóng vỗ cát trời | the sky, the sand, the lashing waves See more August 1, 2025 Nguyên (âm) đơn See more July 20, 2025

A visual discussion Not All Dreams - September 26, 2016 September 9, 2016 Not All Dreams is a response to two exhibitions planned for August and September being cancelled for different reasons. Such seeming setbacks raise internal questions for manzi about the what, why and how of what we do, which can serve as points of departure for our programming. Not All Dreams is a visualisation of an ongoing conversation we have been having amongst ourselves and with collaborators about the different building blocks that comprise manzi and exploring what would happen if one or another is removed. INTO THIN AIR was the first such enquiry. Not All Dreams continues this internal evaluation made public. The former took the form of an exhibition in various public spaces, which originated from its curators asking “What can be done if there was no physical space to display art in?” The later takes as its focal point the perceived necessity of the realisation of every idea and explores this by way of a ‘visual discussion’, open to the public, and a focused internal conversation among curators and people who own and run art spaces. Both the public and internal aspects of Not All Dreams are invitations to ponder whether the dreams that ‘could’ be realised within the realm of manzi, are as potent as the ones that actually are. And it is an appeal to conceive of a dream without being weighed down by the constraints of having to realise it. Discussion starts: 7PM Friday 09 Sept Discussion pauses: Mon 26 Sept *The discussion is part of manzi’s art programme supported by CDEF of the Danish Embassy ARTWORKS GALLERY OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s)

Nguyễn Huy Ana new series of installations by visual artist Nguyễn Huy An The Four Subjects - November 5, 2022 October 8, 2022 Nguyễn Huy An For this comeback after three years (since his third solo show in Saigon), Huy An assembles an exclusive space for singular objects/relationships which would provoke an odd encounter of disparate subjects (they are essentially alien to each other and, at first sight, seemingly unfamiliar to the keen followers of Huy An’s art practices as well). The new series of installation artworks features neither a reiteration of Huy An’s recurring motifs centered around his personal memories and the rural Northern Vietnam nor a replay of predominant themes such as local religious & spiritual dimensions and the divine & the profane which had often haunted Huy An’s practices with subtle shading of nostalgia for the past years. ‘The Four subjects ’, nevertheless, is a display of his new and ongoing meditations on the potential possibilities of the visible / the action of seeing: - A study of a very narrow blind area in the horse’s vision - A reproduction of the comprehensive illustrated encyclopedia of Vietnamese Geography in the reign of Emperor Minh Mạng - A co-presence of a lasting powerful light source and an ephemeral standard light with the minimum luminous intensity/ traces of its absence - An extended thread of blanked-out images rhythmically punctuated with 51 bright colorful trails - effects of light leak in the first frames at the beginning of a film roll A nuanced diagram of various scenarios, a bulleted list of prospects, with conciseness, clarity yet ambiguity, on the basis of diverse references. ‘Four Subjects ’, therefore, resists the tendency to be interpreted as a coherent narrative that compels clear-cut messages or epic conclusions, but rather, provides clues of a puzzle lock. Scattered in a clear irreducible space, four sets of installations formulate somewhat of a tricky multi-point latching system; once this mechanism is unlocked with the right key, all pieces eventually fall into place. However, before the time comes, this arrangement, in the form of fragmented archives, is a dissonant structure. Apart from sharing some common characteristics in the artist’s reticence and restraint, along with the faint imprints of his personal codes (the light and shadow, the anonymous emptiness/ darkness and the futile attempt to preserve the remnants of vanishing cultures or to record the faded shades of the past), four installations of ‘The Four Subjects ’, albeit connected in one theme called ‘seeing’, manifest themselves in a visual disharmony. This discordant presence sets off a tension of the haphazard and the random, of the absurdity and the evanescence, of the definitive and the infinite. In that way, entailed in Four Subjects the implication of ‘Seeing or Not Seeing ’/‘In sight or Out of sight ’ is not a mutually exclusive claim or a two-choice question. Instead, a ‘No’ can be a ‘Yes’ and vice versa, everything is a metaphor. By confronting us with confounding variables in his experiment, Huy An opens up a free space that enables us to go beyond our limited perception which has always been dominated by our sense of sight and visual information. *This is part of manzi’s art programme under the patronage of the Goethe Institut. ARTWORKS GALLERY the four subjects #1. Blind Spot The very small blind area in the 350o range of horse’s vision #2. Submerged in the layers of ‘cánh gián’ 162 scenes within the penumbra of ‘cánh gián’- the layers of sơn ta coating #3. Blindlingly dazzling point A candle was illuminated by - the light power of 500 lumens (of a torch) #4. A series of consecutivelines ...frame 1 blank frame 2 filled frame 3 blank frame 4 filled frame 5 blank frame 6 filled frame 7 blank frame 8 filled frame 9 blank frame 10 filled frame 11 blank frame 18 filled frame 19 blank frame 20 filled frame 21 blank frame 22 filled frame 28 blank frame 29 filled frame 30 blank frame 31 filled frame 32 blank frame 33 filled frame 34 blank frame 38 filled frame 39 blank frame 40 filled frame 41 blank frame 42 filled frame 43 blank frame 44 filled frame 45 blank frame 46 filled frame 47 blank frame 48 filled frame 49 blank frame 50 filled frame 51 blank frame 52 filled. Between the ‘blank’ and ‘filled’ frames, there are lines in different vivid colors: red, yellow, orange, pink, magenta… ___________________________________________________________________ About the Four Subjects: A note for exhibition by Nguyễn Như Huy 1. The tragedy of ‘Oedipus the King’, from a specific perspective, can be viewed as a tale of paradoxical dialectics between ‘looking’ and ‘seeing’, ‘ sight’ and ‘insight’. Oedipus, regardless of his vision / ability to see, was totally blind to his reality, while Teiresias, the blind prophet, could simply see the truth. Finally, Oedipus paid for his crimes by self punishment: blinding himself. He destroyed his eyes - the tool of vision, because the truth had become known by then and he could live in the truth despite the physical blindness. In some aspects, The Four Subjects by Nguyễn Huy An at Manzi, has approached such complex philosophical dialectical relations between ‘sight’ and ‘insight’ by means of visual arts. Huy An’s attempts in this visualization based on four questions (or four subjects - as the artist called them) a/ The First Question is about an act of seeing yet insufficient/ incomplete. It is suggested in the ‘BLIND SPOT’ - the installation work simulated the vision range of the horse which expands 350 degrees. b/ The Second Question asked in the installation titled ‘SUBMERGED IN THE LAYERS OF “CÁNH GIÁN” addresses the concealed visibility / an act of seeing yet hidden. This installation includes many small flat wooden boards (or “vóc”) of the same size like ancient Buddhist inscriptions, these are lacquer paintings on which are drawings of 162 scenes - the carving patterns can be found on The Nine Dynastic Urns of the Nguyen Dynasty. These 9 urns (‘Cửu Đỉnh’) were constructed by order of Emperor Minh Mạng (in 1837) with inspiration from the Xia’s Dynastic Urns of China. They were placed in front yard of The Mieu complex (the imperial temple worshiping the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty). As a sacred treasure embodied the great power of the unified territory & the eternity of the Nguyen Dynasty, each urn was named after the posthumous title of an emperor. What’s special in Huy An’s adaptation is that: though had been painted, these lacquer baseboards were left without sanding or polishing but coated with a thick layer of ‘cánh gián’ (a soft brown color - like the cockroach wing). As a result, instead of resurfacing, all visual elements are hidden; this leads us to a realization: history itself has always been concealed by the manipulation of historical analysis & interpretation process. c/ The Third Question is about a complete disappearance without absence, the situation of being vanished from sight while still being present. It is proposed in the installation called ‘BLINDINGLY DAZZLING POINT’ in which a flashlight power of 500 lumens directly focuses on a candle, instantaneously the candlelight ceases to be seen. d/ The Fourth Question presents the relation between ‘Seeing’ and ‘Not Seeing’ in the last work ‘A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE LINES’. This installation features a thread of light-leaked photos - a common error occurred with a film camera; images then could only be captured in one half of the frame while the other half went blank. And what did the artist do with these frames? He covered both the filled parts and the blank parts, only revealing the colored lines between them. Thus, it becomes apparent to us that Huy An has exposed the relation between ‘Seeing’ and ‘Not Seeing’ here: not mutually exclusive, they validate rather than negate each other. One can only be brought into being in the existence of another. In other words, ‘Seeing’ and ‘Not Seeing’ are both potentiality and actuality of each other. 2. FOUR SUBJECTS has, essentially, conceptualized the ‘Unseen’ / ‘Not Seeing’, or more precisely, the looking for a way to see the unseen / to get the insight into something out of sight. ‘Not Seeing’ does not equal having nothing to see, that is to say, a reality negative in the visual aspect. Rather, it is a perception of the limits of our visual acuity which ultimately affirms ‘what can be seen/known’ beyond our senses. To see the ‘not seeing’ therefore, is not a pure sophistry in the absurd paradoxical structure. Oppositely, this probably provides a kind of enlightenment, a perfect wisdom attained in the same way as The Heart Sutra of Buddhism has stated in the concept of śūnyatā (emptiness/nothingness): all things are empty of intrinsic existence and nature; transcending the seemingly conflicting relation of ‘form’ and ‘emptiness ’, śūnyatā is the essential core of all beings & universe. OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Nguyễn Huy An