Photo Hanoi ’25 | The State of Things
Opening: 10 am, Tues 05 Nov 2025
Exhibition: 01 – 30 Nov 2025
Exhibition Center 93 Đinh Tiên Hoàng
Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
From Biennale Photo Hanoi:
A room full of Bert Danckaert photographs resembles a gallery of paintings. The works are large, and, at first glance, they appear to be composed of simple organic or geometric shapes in flat color, classically arranged within the ubiquitous and intuitive photographic rectangle. We are reminded of Mark Rothko, rather than Walker Evans.
A closer examination reveals random remnants of human activity with the encyclopedic detail that only photography can render. There is no doubt that these images are rooted in the real world, yet their formal aesthetic power dominates, confounding the desire for information that photographs usually satisfy.
We are challenged to understand the intentions of this observant and contemplative photographer, whose captured fragments of the world are both true and transcendent, but the works themselves may encourage us to embrace their contradictions in much the same way the artist does.
The ambiguities that Danckaert finds and constructs are a primary feature of his work, but they are also intrinsic to the very nature of photography. The tension these elements create is the source of the power these photographs manifest. Though many of them are beautiful, they are not simply decorative. Though they are the result of travel, they are more about inward journeys.
The exhibition “The state of things” is a part of Photo Hanoi ’25 International Photography Biennale.
Photo Hanoi is an international photography biennale, initiated and coordinated by the French Institute in Vietnam since 2021. Held every two years, the event operates under the patronage of the Hanoi People’s Committee. For its 2025 edition, the French Institute in Vietnam and the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports are co-organizing Photo Hanoi ’25, with support from UNESCO and a wide network of local and international partners. The biennale aims to position Hanoi as a vibrant and inspiring destination for photography enthusiasts from Vietnam and around the world.
Follow updates on event’s page.
