Director of the French Institute in Vietnam Thierry Vergon delivers speech at the Photo Hanoi'23 press conference. (Photo: VietnamPlus)Hanoi (VNA) - The Photo Hanoi'23 - International Photography Biennale will serve as leverage to make Hanoi a great city of exhibitions and photography. As a result, Vietnamese photography will reach more audiences worldwide.
Photo Hanoi'23, the first ever international standard art biennale held in the capital city affirms the determination to realize the dream of city leaders and co-organizers. The French Institute in Vietnam wants to transform Hanoi into a marquee Asian city of photography.
On the sidelines of the event, Thierry Vergon, Director of the French Institute in Vietnam, project coordinator shared his vision of the photography project.
Vietnam and the world have a dialogue through photography
- Can you share the reasons why the French Institute initiated the Photo Hanoi'23 Biennale and why photography and not another art form?
Thierry Vergon: This idea started in 2020. We met with people in the cultural and artistic fields of Hanoi and Vietnam and realized that photography is an area that deserves attention as a way to promote other cultural activities. In Vietnam, there are many amazing young photographers as well as famous photographers. So photography was one of the first areas that we wanted to explore.
The predecessor of the international photography biennale was launched in 2021 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, events could not go ahead as planned. However, the exhibitions that were held received a very good response from the public and cultural partners, so we decided to implement the idea of a biennale - a biennial event dedicated to photography.
Biennale is a very popular model for promoting art in the world. For example, everyone knows the Venice Art Biennale. There are also events dedicated to photography, like the Bamako Biennale in Mali, Objectifs in Singapore, Kyotographie in Japan, or Photo Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
'Hanoi - A city that is a part of a photography exhibition is an interesting dialogue between Vietnamese and international artists. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
- Can you share about some outstanding characters and activities of Photo Hanoi'23?
Thierry Vergon: It is difficult to mention just a few names. The first is the French photographer Robert Doisneau, who was very active in the 1960s and was considered one of the "godfathers" of French photography. For the first time in Vietnam, the public will be able to see 30 of his original photos.
Another very important photographer in Vietnam is Nguyen The Son. He joined Photo Hanoi’23 as curator, photographer and expert. He is in charge of the exhibition "Hanoi - A City in Photography" at the cultural space at 22 Hang Buom street. This is a very interesting example of a dialogue between Vietnamese and international artists.
Another event that I would like to talk about is the exhibition of works by Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese female photographers at the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA).
We will also have a panel discussion about Photo Hanoi'23. Representatives of international photography festivals such as Objectifs Singapore or Kyotographie will share their impressions of coming to Photo Hanoi'23 and their experiences of what photography has brought to the cities where they live.
I want to emphasize that all the events are interesting, even the ones that I have not mentioned here. The participants in this program are all very interesting artists. So I hope photo lovers will go to as many exhibitions as possible to understand the richness that photography can bring as an art form and a form of expression.
Hanoi - The City of Photography
- In your opinion, how will this event resonate and attract international attention?
Thierry Vergon: The biennale itself has the participation of the French Institute and international partners from Germany, Italy, Spain, the US, Argentina, Japan, Hungary, Switzerland, the UK and Belgium. They will promote the event in their network. International artists can also convey their messages and thoughts about the Photo Hanoi’23.
A very important promotion channel is through a network of journalists. I believe that French media in particular and journalists from Asia and Europe will be interested in this biennale.
Visitors enjoy taking photos at the exhibition within the framework of Photo Hanoi'23. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
- What does Photo Hanoi 23' mean to the city's immediate and long-term cultural, economic and social development, sir?
Thierry Vergon: I would like to give examples of the impact of events like this in some localities. For example, Kyotographie is a major event that has been held for the past 10 years in Kyoto, Japan. The number of guests attending this event exceeded the number of residents of the city. This benefits the tourism industry and the economy.
In addition, the director of photography at the French Ministry of Culture once told me that events like this help him to know what is happening in Cambodia, and that he has started buying works by Cambodian artists.
Mr. Thierry Vergon talks to international experts participating in Photo Hanoi'23. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Likewise, what we expect from this event is that the world will have a better view of what is happening in Vietnam. This is also an opportunity to better understand different cultures, helping Vietnamese photography develop through good examples of the achievements of world photography.
This event will be a tool to attract tourists if the communication is done properly and successfully because promoting the image through culture is always a very effective way. Hanoi will become a major city of exhibitions and photography stories. Photographers, curators, collectors, all this ecosystem converges here every two years in Hanoi.
- For young talents, how will this event promote their creativity and career opportunities?
Thierry Vergon: They can leverage this opportunity to showcase their works, share their techniques and learn new skills and participate in discussions.
We often see galleries, and exhibitions displaying paintings, sculptures, installations or videos. Collectors also often buy paintings rather than photographs. Therefore, this is an opportunity to develop the photography market as an art form.
The exhibition is taking place at cultural space 22 Hang Buom street. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
- What are your expectations about the development of Photo Hanoi'23 in the future?
Thierry Vergon: My first dream is that after two or three times, the French Institute will no longer be the main partner and co-organizer of this event, but Hanoi will be able to take care of it on its own. We will do our best to provide technical support.
It is important that this event is not only within the framework of cooperation between France and Vietnam but also an event of Hanoi with international partners including the French Institute.
For example, Hue Festival, originally a programme jointly organised by France, is now 100% organized by Thua Thien-Hue province.
Back to Hanoi, the city needs to continue to invest in the cultural industry because this will bring major economic benefits.
I hope that Vietnamese photographers will be known more widely in the world art market, and that after 10-15 years there will still be a big event under the brand Photo Hanoi.
- Thank you very much./.
