Thomas BillhardtA photography exhibition by THOMAS BILLHARDT 03.10 - 15.11.2020 Hà Nội 1967 - 1975 - November 15, 2020 October 3, 2020 Thomas Billhardt The Goethe Institut, Camera Work, Nhã Nam Publisher and Manzi Art Space are pleased to present an extraordinary photo exhibition featuring Hanoi in the period of 1967 to 1975 by world-renowned German photographer Thomas Billhardt. Consisting of 130 black & white and colour photos taken during Thomas Billhardt's trips to Vietnam, the exhibition presents viewers an honest documentary of Hanoi from 1967 to 1975, minute by quotidian minute, sincere and unadorned. ‘Hanoi 1967- 1975’ through the lens of Thomas is the joyful moment of welcoming a child born in the wartime, the captured American pilots in the camps, the crowds bicycling in the rains, the outdoor drawing classes with barefooted pupils, the innocent happy faces of children, the iconic stadium with football crowds lost in passionate cheers… All these visual notes make a symphony about life steeped in hardship but brimming with care and love. ‘Thomas’s photos held up a mirror to the world while at the same time strengthening hope. They tell of the world’s social inequalities, of poverty, of suffering, of war, but also of the life and laughter of the people who live in it’ – says Wilfried Eckstein, Director of the Goethe Institut. ‘Hanoi 1967- 1975’ by Thomas carves out its own realm of memory where Hanoi appears in all its various expressions of this time. The exhibition open from 3rd Oct. to 15 Nov. 2020 at both spaces of Manzi: 02 Ngõ Hàng Bún and 14 Phan Huy Ích, Ba Đình, Hanoi. A photo book 'Hà Nội 1967-1975' published by the Goethe Institut and Nha Nam Publishing House will be launched during the exhibition with a series of talks and film screenings. ARTWORKS GALLERY INTRO Thomas Billhardt was one of the GDR’s most extraordinary photographers . In the late 1960s, his shots of the Vietnam War earned him worldwide fame. He was the first to capture the horrors of this war on camera, especially in his photographs of children’s faces. His photographic art was created and spread in a time before digital overload. His photos were unforgettable, images that would linger before the viewer’s inner eye. They held up a mirror to the world while at the same time holding out hope. They tell of the world’s social inequalities, of poverty, of suffering, of war, but also of the life and laughter of the people who live in it. In his photography, Thomas Billhardt expressed suffering through the iconography of big, expressive children’s eyes. His style stirred empathy and solidarity across national borders. As a news photographer, he travelled on behalf of GDR government authorities, agencies, publishing houses, and UNICEF. He documented the hot spots of world events such as Vietnam, travelling to Bangladesh, China, Chile, Guinea, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lebanon, Mozambique, the Middle East, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. His first long-distance trip took him to revolutionary Cuba in 1961. “That trip,” he says, “was a turning point in my life. I was not indifferent to the experience and fascination of the revolutionary movement. I got to know two sides of society.” The countries he visited most often were the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and Italy. Between 1962 and 1985, he visited the Soviet Union over fifty times and Italy more than twenty times. He was fascinated by social contradictions expressed in the faces of the people he saw: “I experienced human joy and suffering, whether it was on the natural gas fields of the former USSR or on the front lines in Vietnam .” (Thomas Billhardt) BIO Thomas Billhardt, born in 1937 , grew up in Chemnitz, which was called Karl-Marx-Stadt during the GDR era. One of the enduring impressions of his childhood was the smell of developer and fixing bath chemicals in his parents’ home. His mother Maria Schmid-Billhardt was a freelance photographer who had her own studio. At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to her and some fellow photographers, including the founder of the GDR’s first color lab. In addition to attending vocational school, which is part of apprenticeship programs in Germany, his mother also arranged additional private lessons for him in mathematics, German, English, P.E. (tennis), History, Art History, and Painting. With this thorough education, especially his rich knowledge of art history and painting, he immediately passed the entrance examination for the Academy of Applied Arts in Magdeburg, which he attended from 1954 to 1957. In the Großkayna lignite mining area, he got to know the dark side of his profession – documenting work accidents that involved casualties with serious or even fatal injuries. From 1958 – 1963, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, graduating with a degree as photographer / photo designer. Until 1971, he worked as a freelance photographer. From 1972 to 1981, he headed a work group at the German Advertising Agency (DEWAG) Berlin, and from 1982 to 1989 he was head of Billhardt studio. Since 1989, Thomas Billhardt has been a member of the German Association of Journalists and since 1990, a member of the Association of Freelance Photo Designers, which also made him an honorary member in 2019. He gained renown through his publications in magazines and exhibitions in many countries. The exhibition accompanying this photobook is his third exhibition in Vietnam, followed by an exhibition in 1972, and a show for the film project “Iced lemonade for Hong Li” in the year 2000 at the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc. VIETNAM In 1967, Thomas Billhardt travelled to Hanoi for the first time via Moscow, Irkutsk, Beijing, and Nanning. At the time, he was a freelancer for the independent documentary film studio Heynowski & Scheumann. His mission was to make an interview-based documentary film about US-American pilots who had been shot down and captured. For the 1968 film “Pilots in Pajamas”, Thomas Billhardt did the exterior shots. The pictures he took on this trip appeared internationally in the American magazine ‘Life’, in the French ‘Paris Match’, in the West German magazines ‘Stern’ and ‘Spiegel’, and many other magazines. This trip and a follow-up trip to Vietnam resulted in the first traveling exhibition about the war in Vietnam, which was shown in 1969 in the GDR, the Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden, and Moscow. His first illustrated book about Vietnam was published in Leipzig in 1973. Thomas Billhardt traveled to the war-ravaged country six times between 1962 and 1975 and has returned to it six more times since then. The photographs taken during these trips have been published in four illustrated books. “Pilots in Pajamas” (1968), “Longing for Peace: Vietnam” (1973), “Hanoi on the Eve of Peace” (1973) and “Faces of Vietnam” (1978). PHOTO ART Thomas Billhardt describes his pictures as ‘honest’, thus underscoring his independence as an artist who seeks the bare, unbiased view of things. When he hits the shutter button on his camera, the things in front of his lens must be worth capturing, not only because back in the day, negative film was expensive and it took a either lot of money or good connections to get one’s hands on the higher-quality, Western Kodak products, but also because he didn’t work in a studio like his mother, but out in the field, in public spaces. What he tried to capture was irreproducible moments, authentic, sincere images, like a beautiful face in a bleak world, innocent laughter in a harsh, threatening environment, an idyllic everyday moment that makes us forget about fear and war and gives us hope for peaceful normalcy. Thomas Billhardt hails from an era and a world where the demands of privacy require discreteness and respect for the integrity of the individual. However, he could only create compelling photography if he managed to capture private moments, in other words, if he was able to steal a glimpse of this very privacy. As a photographer, he seeks the unadulterated moment, people’s faces before they realize they are about to be captured on film. It is about the moment before they react and try to control their appearance. Capturing this instant, immortalizing people in their candid uniqueness, is what creates the intimacy and warmth of his photographs that stirs empathy in their viewers – for example, with the people of Vietnam. Taking an honest picture is not easy. Today, we pose incessantly in front of cell phone cameras. We post our likenesses on social media, with certain gestures and fake smiles, gleaning ‘likes’ from our followers near and far. But even before the digital age, it was not easy to take a candid shot of a person, because whenever we see a camera, it is our reflex to assume a certain posture, pose, or try to dodge the picture. Thomas Billhardt developed his own unique technique. In public spaces, he used a telephoto lens to get close enough to people, whom he took out of the slogan-ridden socialist reality of the GDR, searching for personalities, moods, and individuality. Another approach was his ‘angle trick’, his technique of photographing around corners. He would hold his reflex camera at eye level, with his eye firmly on the viewfinder, but the lens pointed to the side, which meant he saw everything upside down and reversed in the viewfinder. Over time, he had trained his eye so well that he did even not notice the inversion anymore and was able to find his subject immediately. “I would stalk my ‘victims’ like a wolf, calculate the best exposure time, and estimate the distance so I could pre-set those elements. Then came the moment of deception. When I lifted the camera, I only looked at the screen and could push the shutter button unnoticed. That’s how I captured the actual scene.” After German reunification, people wondered if Thomas Billhardt was a mere state-sponsored artist and how to appraise his success in the authoritarian regime of the GDR in retrospect. He travelled on behalf of state-controlled publishing houses, at the invitation of cultural institutions, but also often on his own initiative. His photographs adorned many state propaganda publications. He was awarded national art prizes. – To live and survive, he had to make many compromises within the rigid framework of a surveillance state. It is true, of course, that Thomas Billhardt supplied the system he lived in with the images it needed. But this was the only way he could survive as an artist, and many independent artists in liberal states and capitalist exploitation contexts are actually in the same boat; they too, must deliver what their system demands. Otherwise, they are doomed to a life of insignificance and rob themselves of any chance to make and impact or communicate a message. Their contributions and critical reflections also make enable their audience to keep going. Structural violence, whether it be greed or political leadership, can only be overcome by cunning resourcefulness or by escaping into niches of freedom. We have already addressed Billhardt’s resourcefulness. Let’s also remember that art always needs free space. For Tomas Billhardt, this was the FDJ student magazine FORUM for a while, then his cooperation with the independent film studio Heynowski & Scheumann. It was this kind of freedom that helped his great work excel. It enabled him to maintain his independence and refine his experience of the world and thus his artistic work. This explains why he virtually skyrocketed in his politically rigid environment as an innovative upstart. Of course, he was often subject to distrust while being officially admired. Time and again, he had to convince doubters through quality and originality. His hard-won success proved him right. Wherever he went, he found himself in a paradox. Was he a revolutionary reporter like Capa? Hardly. He came from a middle-class background, his mother’s private studio. He was raised to be a diligent worker and an educated mind. He did not seek adventure in order to escape his middle-class environment. He wanted to get to the bottom of things and share his insights with the world; his objective was the happy smile of a child. Thomas Billhardt remained true to himself throughout his life. He is a sharply alert, critical explorer of poverty and crisis spots around the world. Children have always been his ambassadors. The fact that his art is political, yet not simplistic, has made him a star in the Western art and photography scene. Since 1999, Thomas Billhardt's work has been exhibited at the renowned photo art gallery CAMERA WORK and has been shown in many locations around the globe. Wilfried Eckstein Director, Goethe Institut Vietnam OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s)

Vương ThạoA solo exhibition by VƯƠNG THẠO 13.09 - 23.09.2013 Vuong Thao's Frozen Dreams - September 22, 2013 September 13, 2013 Vương Thạo ARTWORKS GALLERY OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Vương Thạo

Located in centre of Hanoi, Manzi is known as one of the most dynamic art spaces in South East Asia. Through art exhibitions, talks, workshops, book introductions, movie screenings, music and dance performances, Manzi's mission is to promote contemporary arts, build new audiences, inspire critical thinking and nurture A site-specific staging by Nguyễn Huy An - Lại Diệu Hà - Nguyễn Trần Nam - Nguyễn Văn Phúc - Nguyễn Trinh Thi - Nguyễn Văn Thủy Open studio: 11.00 AM - 07.00 PM (Wed - Sun) from 23 Feb until 19 Mar 2023 Venues: the front yard of manzi art space - 14 Phan Huy Ích, Ba Đình, Hà Nội & manzi exhibition space - no.2 ngõ Hàng Bún, Ba Đình, Hà Nội There is Light and Darkness Sound and Silence Natural beings and Man-made Objects Remembrance of things past Promise of things that just begin There are Handcrafts along Machines The Original and Imitation Materiality and Dematerialization Flesh and Spirit Divine and Earthly Then Decaying… ...Continue reading Description A shoe A ladder A lightning strike Malevich Hydra The Sound Hòn non bộ (miniature landscape art) A fleeting outline scribbled down, that outline of a Story not yet to be fully-formed just awaiting to be unveiled, but rather of the happenings to be encountered and recorded. Throughout over three weeks, six artists (working in different disciplines: visual arts, performance art, sound & moving images) will collaborate together in a series of “symbiotic experiments”, an open studio simultaneously at two different spaces of manzi. Provoked by an infinite conundrum about More-Than-Human World, ‘The Understories’ simulates a site-specific staging in which many elements/characters would be involved; they can appear suddenly or quietly withdraw, with unexpected movements and mise en scène: A four - rhythm open studio Experimenting with both space and time, 'More than human #1: The Understories ' is not an inert installations. Rather, week after week, the displayed works will transform through four 'Phases' (or we can call them ‘ Rh ythms’ as in Biology / ' Acts’ as in a Play/ ‘Chapters’ as in a Story), Transient & Moving... Each part only lasts for 4 - 5 days Rhythm #4 02.00 PM 15 Mar - 07.00 PM 19 Mar SHOW'S DIAGRAM CURRENTLY ON STAGE

Duo Siedl/Caoa five-channel video and sound installation by the artist duo Siedl/Cao The Fifth Cardinal Direction - March 2, 2025 February 14, 2025 Duo Siedl/Cao The Fifth Cardinal Direction Birth, Love, Work, Coming of Age & Death a five-channel video and sound installation by the artist duo Siedl/Cao. Time: 11.00 AM - 07.00 PM from 14 February to 02 March 2025 Venue: Manzi Exhibition Space, 2 Ngõ Hàng Bún, Ba Đình, Hà Nội Free Entrance *** Please note: We can only accommodate a maximum of 6 audiences each slot Expanding upon their critically acclaimed music-theater work of the same name — premiered at the Hanoi Opera House and subsequently presented in Rotterdam and Vienna — this installation reimagines their theatrical work within a new medium and spatial framework allowing a shift in the relationship between spectators and performer. Despite the average 8-second attention span today, each video consists of a continuous shot, with the performer maintaining her posture for the entire 8-minute duration. The artwork invites the viewer to pause and to step out of the fast-paced, fragmented rhythm of contemporary life and to engage with the larger temporal structures of human existence. At the heart of the installation is a solitary figure, whose age and subtle movements embody her humanity. Her voice, the sole audible element in the space, resonates with the essence of each life chapter, inviting viewers to contemplate the emotional and existential themes at play. The deliberate silence between each sound event creates a long arch of time, similar to that found in nature, such as the time between bird’s song or between dawn and sunset. ARTWORKS GALLERY OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s)

Located in centre of Hanoi, Manzi is known as one of the most dynamic art spaces in South East Asia. Through art exhibitions, talks, workshops, book introductions, movie screenings, music and dance performances, Manzi's mission is to promote contemporary arts, build new audiences, inspire critical thinking and nurture VUI LÒNG CHỌN NGÔN NGỮ Tiếng Việt CHOOSE THE LANGUAGE English

dzo painting Nguyễn Văn Cường biography Born in 1972 in Thai Binh and graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 1996, Nguyen Van Cuong is now considered one of Vietnam’s most respectful contemporary artists. Growing up and making art during the transitional period in which Vietnam transformed itself From a subsided system to a socialist led market economy as a result of the “đổi mới” (renovation) policy, much of Cuong’s practice critically and satirically reflects and comments on the social and political changes. One of the common thread running through Cuong’s body of work is the idea of a degrading society full of “cultural pollutions. His brush and ink paintings are often bristling with aggressive symbols of the new capitalist and consumerist Vietnam - such as Benjamin Franklin’s head on the 100 US$ bill, karaoke machines, computers and prostitutes. “We need to make critical art for our changing society. We need to make necessary art. Art you can use for something, something that creates a dialogue with the audience and is not just for the beautiful decoration of your house”, he once famously stated. Cuong’s work is the complete opposite of what is often considered “fine art” in Vietnam. His is brutal, aggressive and deals with the abject. works This artist currently has no available work at Manzi works The Crows NGUYỄN VĂN CƯỜNG 1997 80 x 60 cm watercolor on dzo 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

Nguyễn Trần NamA solo exhibition by NGUYỄN TRẦN NAM 06.01 - 26.01.2014 THE BROKEN CHAPTERS - January 26, 2014 January 5, 2014 Nguyễn Trần Nam The exhibition space, bare and colorless. A video of a bullet ripping through the air, looped and muted. Texts describing the very moment before, during and after one is executed, detailed and handwritten. A home video of a father and son bonding moment, found and slowed down. A group photograph of young men, smiling and almost washed out. A conversations between a father and his son, absurd and mounted on the walls. These are part of THE BROKEN CHAPTHERS, a showcase of new artworks by Nguyen Tran Nam taking place at manzi art space from 06 to 26 January 2014. Rooted in the stories of his own, but reaching out to tell the stories of others, Nam’s work is personal yet universal, dealing with themes such as violence, death and the father and son relationship. Using the notion of war as a backdrop, Nam offers a perspective on how ideologies and beliefs could shape a generation’s identity and perception, whilst demonstrating the gaps, the missing pieces and the powerful bonds between one generation and another, regardless of how isolated or far-removed they are – or desire to be – from each other. With a recurring interest in war novels and film, and inspired by his father’s experiences as a military engineer during the Vietnam-America war and later as a propaganda painter, the artist took on the role of both a memory excavator and a fiction storyteller, weaving real-life details with made-up stories to form an imaginary realm unbound by truth, place or time. This exhibition is supported by the Prince Claus Fund ARTWORKS GALLERY WHOLE AGAIN An exhibition review by curator Bill Nguyen A collection of writings, videos and discovered objects, Nguyen Tran Nam’s new body of work – THE BROKEN CHAPTERS is personal yet universal, rooted in the stories of his own, but reaching out to tell the stories of others, dealing with themes such as violence, death and the father and son relationship. Using the notion of war as a backdrop, Nam offers a perspective on how ideologies and beliefs shape a generation’s identity and perception, whilst demonstrating the gaps, the missing pieces and the powerful bonds between one generation and another, regardless of how isolated or far-removed they are – or desire to be – from each other. With a recurring interest in war novels and film, and inspired by his father’s experiences as a military engineer during the Vietnam-American war and later as a propaganda painter, the artist took on the role of both a memory excavator and a fiction writer, weaving real-life details with made-up stories to form an imaginary realm unbound by truth, place or time. Arranged sporadically on the two floors of the exhibition space like chapters from a distorted novel, each separate work is part of a larger narrative that asks the viewer to avoid leisurely contemplation, and invites them to go out of their usual way in order to figure their own story and relationship with the works. Dry to the point of challenging, the visual elements seem to have been intentionally watered down in order to amplify the work’s content and context. The show-opener is a pixilated home video, which looks as if it has been downloaded off one’s personal account on Youtube or Facebook, slowed down and played continuously on a monitor placed on the floor. Depicting a shooting lesson between a father and his little son, the video shows an odd male and father/son bonding moment - deeply affectionate, yet at the same time, violently dysfunctional. The importance of fathers spending time with their sons is immense; and the relationship a boy has with his father greatly shapes the man he will become in the future. What will become of this boy? A killing-machine? Or a future provider of protection and safety? Could this act of learning how to fire a gun be considered a fundamental rite of passage from boyhood to manhood? Or a form of child abuse?What does this tell us about our values and our cultures? Should gun shooting, or to be more exact - violence, be accepted as a solution during this politically unstable time? Or could too much freedom and democracy prove to be a problem? Spanning the main walls and resembling official documents or awards certificates, the second work consists of thirteen handwritten texts and an old photograph, all pristinely framed and neatly hung in a straight line. On closer inspection, a chill runs down our spines as we realize what our eyes are reading. All of the thirteen extracts of texts recount the very moment before, during and after one is executed – those fleeting seconds between life and the end of it. Adopting multiple styles of writings - sometimes descriptive and poetic, others incomplete and long-winded, the texts are both haunted and haunting, telling tales of thirteen deaths, thirteen possible killing methods, and thirteen different viewpoints. From those who perform the ultimate act, those who partake in the process, to those who lie at the receiving end of death; from wet tropical forests with muddy ponds, to desolate landscape where nothing survives but the ranging sun, we get the sense that the characters are involved a battle, a war. And it could be any battle, any war, at any place and any time; it could be happening right now, or was it hundreds of years ago, or it may occur at some point in the future. Whether it is a war of loss or victory, a battle of gore or glory, it ultimately all ends with fatality. Someone must die– be they a hero or a villain, be they one of “us” or one of “them”. All of these deaths go back to the starting point, where the small washed out black and white photograph of a group of young men is hung. Who are they? Friends? Colleagues? Comrades? Or is it more accurate to ask, who were they? There is more confusion: there are only eleven men in the photograph; where are the other two? Why are they missing? Could one of them be the protagonist in the painting beside it? The only painting in the show, this is the single artwork and material that can be considered traditional, and probably the closet thing to Nam’s training as a painter. Modest in size and minimal in its use of colors, the painting is oddly composited and coldly toned. With the empty center painted in black, the scene is divided into two parts: at the top a cloud is floating by, or maybe frozen still; down at the bottom a man, or maybe a woman, is lying, half of the face buried in green water, the other half looking straight at us, unemotional, or maybe contented. As we are absorbed in the painting’s strangeness and gloom, the same character and scenery - or maybe their doppelgangers – appear in perhaps the second part of the work, a video located upstairs. Slowly, the immobile moves; quietly, the dead breathes; peculiarly, silence is replaced by the last sounds of a living human being. As the painting comes alive and drips of blood fall out of the character’s mouth, an all-encompassing uncanny sensation begins to resonate inside our body and throughout the space. We feel horrified and disoriented, but also energized and compelled by the disturbance and mystery of what we are witnessing: a person approaching death. How did he die? Was he murdered? Or did he commit suicide? How did his story unfold? These questions continue to linger in our minds, only to be confronted by the emptiness apparent in the last room. On one wall is a looped video projection of a bullet ripping through the air. Dark and sinister, echoing the show’s subject matters, these two instruments of death – the gun and the bullet – are referenced all the way through: each bullet fired in the opening video is filled with pride and joy; technical drawings of gun parts faintly decorate the paper onto which the thirteen deaths are written; a gunshot probably killed the protagonist in the painting-video duo piece; a bullet wound is debated between a father and his son in the text-based wall piece as part of the last work in this room. Written in an instinctive and stream-of-consciousness manner, the conversation surrounds the notions of victory, reason and value; and alludes to the differences and struggles between the father and the son, the old and the new, the emotionally imbalanced and the cold-heartedly rational. Will these two opposing worlds ever meet? Could their relationship, one connected by blood, ever help resolve the disharmony? With THE BROKEN CHAPTERS , Nguyen Tran Nam attempts to walk away from the parameters of the visual to explore a territory entirely different to what he knows: the practice of writing. Why the change? It maybe that writing is the more powerful way to convey a cause, spread an idea and inspire hope; or that it better achives the social and political functions we normally expect of art; or that artists simply wish to expand the scope of their practice. Either way, Nam needs to go through this experimentation, to dive into the darkness in order to see the light. Some may say the final outcome is questionable and doubtful, others naive and unfinished. But there is one thing we can’t deny of Nam: that anything he has written and created, flows from that place - from the heart of an artist; from the heart of a son; from the heart of someone broken, wounded and lost. It is at this very instant that we connect with him, because at one point or another, we have all been broken, wounded and lost. And all we ever wanted was the impossible: to be whole again. OPENING NIGHT See more about artist(s) Nguyễn Trần Nam

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

Through art exhibitions, talks, workshops, book introductions, movie screenings, music and dance performances, Manzi's mission is to promote Vietnam contemporary arts, build new audiences, inspire critical thinking and nurture a culture of debate Current Archive Forthcoming Current we are currently preparing for the next exhibition please visit again soon Current Forthcoming we have no forthcoming exhibition please visit again soon Forthcoming Artists Exhibitions Current Forthcoming Archive Programs & Events Art For You Into Thin Air Gallery About Archive Archive