Manzi Art Space

Manzi Art Space, Hanoi, Vietnam

Manzi Team

How have you been exhibiting art or working with artists in the past year?

We opened our new exhibition space in 2020 and expected to have at least 10 group and solo shows in the year. However, due to social distancing campaigns, we could only launch our first event in June 2020 and held four exhibitions in total. Dealing with the unpredictable situation, some artists inevitably felt unsure if they could finish their ongoing projects. Others decided to drop the original plan to explore a new approach in response to recent challenges. As a result, almost all our exhibition arrangements were canceled or rescheduled to the next year.

At the end of November, we managed to organise the 14th edition of ‘Art For You’, our annual pop-up art fair. Fortunately, it was a success and was able to provide us and our artists with the necessary financial support in this difficult time.

We also launched a new series of performances with the concept of ‘Cine-Concert’, combining live sound and music performances with video screenings. Experimental theatre was also part of our art programme last year, where we featured two performances: an interactive play and a script reading.

What are the profiles of the artists you tend to show? Are there specific interests or themes that connect your gallery programme?

We would like to show and promote young Vietnamese contemporary artists working in different disciplines, whether it is installation, performance art or painting. Since Manzi is not a commercial gallery, our main aim is to give opportunities to local emerging artists for them to show their work to the wider public and receive critique from the art community.

How has your role as a gallery this evolved since the pandemic?

From the very first day, Manzi is not restricted by the definition of gallery as a white cube for displaying and selling artworks. We make an effort to continue to implement a collaborative approach and be as open and free as possible. We struggled during the pandemic as a large number of our art buyers were tourists. However, the pandemic has not made us rethink our role or mission.

What is a favourite artwork or event from the past year?

Nguyễn Trinh Thi, ‘Landscape #4: How to Improve the World', 2020. Photo by Jamie MaxtoneGraham. Image courtesy of Manzi Art Space.

Our favorite must be Nguyễn Trinh Thi’s solo show, the last exhibition of 2020. She introduced her latest sound and video installation, titled 'Landscape #4: How to Improve the World'.