Through the Lens: Van-Nhi Nguyen
Vietnamese identity in domestic settings
‘Through the Lens’ is a series that explores in detail images from fashion image-makers in Southeast Asia, shining a light on their creative and technical processes.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Based in Hanoi, photographer Van-Nhi Nguyen uses documentary photography as a medium to reconstruct personal memories and proposes interpretations of societal histories. In 2021, she graduated with a BFA in Photography from OCAD University in Toronto before continuing her education at Liverpool John Moores University, where she obtained her BA (Hons) in Graphic Design. With her artistic practice, Van-Nhi seeks to bring fresh perspectives to the field by portraying the themes of cultural identities, humanity, and the relationship between people and society.
In this conversation, Van-Nhi talks about ‘As You Grow Older’, an ongoing photo series she started in 2022 that features portraits of her friends and family in domestic settings, and how it serves as a part of the journey of finding her identity as a Vietnamese.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
To start, we would like to know more about your photo series, ‘As You Grow Older’. How would you describe the project, and how did it initially come about?
I was born and raised Vietnamese, but I spent a large portion of my life living abroad. Since I lived abroad for most of my formative years, I was faced with a lot of questions about my identity, such as: What does it mean for me to be Vietnamese? My friends would ask me about my experience living in Vietnam, but I was unable to answer because I did not know either. They were only familiar with the country through the 'Made in Vietnam’ tags on their athletic shoes or the Vietnam-American War written in history books. For me, being able to return to Vietnam to live and start my photography practice is an important part of my journey in finding my identity.
When looking at my family’s albums, it felt nostalgic, but at the same time, I could not help but notice how heavily repressed our Vietnamese traditions and culture are in the photos. I looked at vernacular photos as references, and I realised that most of them were shot indoors, which adds a more intimate element to them. I wanted to channel this domesticity and intimacy into a Vietnamese setting by taking photographs of various living spaces and facades of houses in Hanoi. This inspired me to start ‘As You Grow Older’, a series that features portrait images of my friends in domestic spaces. Since I did not get to learn much about Vietnamese art, being able to reference these overlooked elements and visual cues is a significant point in the process of reclaiming my identity as a Vietnamese.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
What would you like to communicate through the photographs? Are there any specific elements that you would want people to pay attention to, and why?
I am trying to focus on layering the images and laying them all out to see the cohesive narrative that weaves everything together. You will notice a continuity in the images, similar to when you are flipping through a family photo album, where you can see different people, both familiar and unfamiliar, come together into a single frame of image. I like having a connection with the past with my images while also speculating on how it would look in the future. Hence, the image series serves to build a bridge that connects the past, present, and future.
On your website, you state that you have a deep interest in exploring topics of cultural identities, humanity, and the relationship between people and society. How have these aspects shaped your practice as a photographer? And how have they influenced the way you approach your work, particularly in ‘As You Grow Older’?
I am interested in how people, identity, and culture itself are always changing. I like to use my photography practice to capture all these stages that a person goes through in their life. I think seeing the connection between time passages and individuals is an interesting and personal experience. The project was not so concrete from the beginning because, like my own identity, it is constantly evolving, and I do not see the end of it yet. At the moment, I am shooting the same group of friends and acquaintances to capture these changes, whether in terms of how they identify with something that is visible in the images, or even in the earlier stage.
“The project was not so concrete from the beginning because, like my own identity, it is constantly evolving, and I do not see the end of it yet.”
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Could you talk about the process of making this series? What are some of the challenges you faced during the photo shoot, and how did you solve them?
The initial step in creating ‘As You Grow Older’ was the research process. I started my research by going through my family’s photo albums. While I was going through them, I found myself spreading all these images out in my head and finding bits and pieces that connected all of these stories together.
The shooting process was quite slow-paced. I usually work with one image at a time and never shoot multiple images at once. The pace allows me to find the perfect setting and interior space, which is integral to the series. I try to look for places that resonate with different parts of my life.
Preparing for the photo shoot is always the hardest. I tried to find suitable locations that would make the subjects feel at home. This took a lot of time, especially since I was the only one working on this series. Some images took only a few days to shoot, but others took weeks and even months. But fortunately, all of my friends whom I shot live close by, and it is also easier when you already know who you are going to photograph. I also tried to draw out an image or reference that I gave to my friends so they could recreate it in their own way. The shooting process, surprisingly, only took around 30 minutes at most. Since I shot the entire series with a film camera, that took a while to process as well.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Did you work with a team or collaborators on this project? What was the collaborative process like?
I mostly worked alone on this project, but I did enlist my friends and acquaintances to be the subjects of the images. I think that having your friends as your collaborators makes the process much easier. Because they already knew me so well, the collaboration came naturally, and the connection was already there. When I started doing photography, I used to take photos of strangers, but then I figured that the process took much longer for them to understand what I was trying to achieve with their photos. For me, taking photos is a form of exchanging energy and power balance, where the subject and the photographer are equal.
During the photo shoot, I tried to embrace the collaborative process as much as possible. Instead of seeing the shoot as an intimidating process, I focused on casually documenting what was happening in front of me and seeing it as a way of taking pictures of my friends and family to keep as a memoir.
“Instead of seeing the shoot as an intimidating process, I focused on casually documenting what was happening in front of me and seeing it as a way of taking pictures of my friends and family to keep as a memoir.”
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
What do you hope to achieve with the image series? What is the significance to you as a Vietnamese/Southeast Asian photographer exploring the themes of Vietnam’s colonial history?
‘As You Grow Older’ serves as a part of my journey in finding identity through my photography practice. Living in a country with a colonial background like Vietnam strips us of our identity so that, even now, young Vietnamese people do not even know who they are to begin with, to even tell a story. As a result, a lot of the younger generations in Vietnam and in other countries with similar backgrounds are going through this process where they are trying to find their respective identities.
Looking at the history of Vietnamese people, we did not gain any sense of our own identity until our independence in 1975. We also do not have a lot of photographic archives or official documentations of our country’s own history. A lot of them were learnt from word-of-mouth in the form of stories passed down from generations. The photo series draws upon aspects of vernacular photography and colonial images of Vietnam to look into the intersection of this palpating wound in Vietnamese society as well as its people’s efforts to move on.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
You recently won the Aperture Portfolio Prize 2023 with ‘As You Grow Older’. The series was also exhibited by the Aperture Foundation in New York in August and is currently displayed at the Hong Kong International Photo Festival. What do these achievements mean to you, and how have they impacted your creative practice?
I think it is great to have my work on display out there and to have the support of a large institution such as the Aperture Foundation. It gave me the opportunity to meet other individuals who resonate with how I feel about my own work and share a similar journey. When I was in Singapore last month for the ‘Women in Film & Photography’ exhibition by Objectifs, where ‘As You Grow Older’ is currently displayed, someone came up to me and talked about how they resonate with the series. As an artist, to hear that people relate to and are inspired by my work is encouraging.
Getting feedback and support from others is helpful for me to continue the series and deepen my research on the topic. Some people might agree with my work, and others might not. I think that is okay since, for me, a physical space is where you can think critically about your own work. I never thought of the image series as more than just collages, but with the exhibition, I had the chance to explore how to display the images in a physical space and how they can be perceived differently as visitors move around the space. It is exciting to experiment with new ways of seeing the project.
Van-Nhi Nguyen, ‘As You Grow Older’, 2022. Image courtesy of the photographer.
Lastly, what plans do you have in store for your practice moving forward? Are there any projects that you are currently working on?
I will still continue to work on ‘As You Grow Older', as I think there is much more to be explored. I am currently trying to plan and figure out how to execute the next images and experiment with them. In the future, I am interested in having the series displayed in physical spaces in different countries, so more people from all over the world can see it in person.
At the same time, I am also working on another photo series that explores how Vietnam’s rapid growth in city development affects people and the environment. It will also reflect how, over the past years, many houses and public housing have been torn down by private corporations to build residential complexes. I am planning to shoot the images outdoors, using floral-printed tarps that construction workers use to cover demolished buildings as visual cues. It is at an early stage, and I am still thinking about how it can be relevant and how to execute it properly.
‘As You Grow Older’ is currently on display at the ‘Women in Film & Photography’ exhibition by Objectifs at 155 Middle Road, Singapore until 5 November 2023. More details here.
It is also featured in the ‘One Hundred Years of Happiness’ exhibition as a part of the Hong Kong International Photo Festival at PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Hong Kong until 13 November 2023. More details here.