» Sensing Photography: Vietnam & Vectors of Global Photography

Nguyễn Art Foundation is proud to be one of the collaborators of Sensing Photography: Vietnam & Vectors of Global Photography, a groundbreaking symposium exploring the role of photography in contemporary Vietnam from 21–28/02/2025 at Fulbright University Vietnam and satellite locations in HCMC. 

Following the successful conclusion of the symposium, we are pleased to introduce a video series documenting the lectures and panel discussions, produced by the Documentation Team of Sensing Photography: Vietnam & Vectors of Global Photography. 

The video series comprises five primary segments: 

Welcome Remarks

Speakers: Professor Lương Ngọc Trâm, Professor Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn, and Professor Maria Franz

In the opening session, Prof. Lương Ngọc Trâm and Prof. Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn introduced the symposium, which aims to establish a new academic forum for scholars interested in the history and influence of photography in Vietnam. Additionally, Prof. Maria France, Interim Provost of Fulbright University Vietnam, expressed her personal passion for photography, extended a warm welcome to local and international participants, and emphasized the significance of discussions regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Photography.

Keynote: Reviving Revolution: Memory, AI, and the Aesthetics of Photographic Restoration

Speaker: Professor Thy Phu

In the presentation ‘Reviving Revolution: Memory, AI, and the Aesthetics of Photographic Restoration’, Professor Thy Phu examines the shift of photography from the role of historical evidence to a medium of spiritual connection through the support of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The focus of the speech lies in explaining how digital restoration technologies are being localized in Vietnam to align with the tradition of ‘truyền thần’ (transmitting the spirit) and the culture of ancestor worship.

Panel Discussion 1: Through a Local Lens

Speakers: Professor Chung Hoàng Chương, Lê Đình Thái (Secretary of the Lai Xá Photography Craft Village), and Researcher Yen Duong

In the first session, ‘Through a Local Lens,’ three guest speakers lead the audience on a journey from the intimate spaces of family darkrooms, through networks of traditional craft villages, to fierce battlefields, in order to reconstruct the multidimensional aspects of the formation and development of Vietnamese photography in the early 20th century. The first panel is divided into three presentations:

1. Shifting from Light to Dark: Vietnam Studio Photography of the 60s – Speaker: Prof. Chung Hoang Chuong
2. Lai Xá Photography Craft Village: The Birthplace of Vietnamese Photography – Speaker: Le Dinh Thai
3. Through Our Lens: Construction, Meanings, and Legacies of Vietnamese War Imagery – Speaker: Yen Duong

Panel Discussion 2: In Memories of Dinh Q. Lê

Speakers: Professor Pamela N. Corey, Researcher Adeena Mey, and Artist Trần Minh Đức Flyingbay

1. From Materiality and Memory: Remembering Dinh Q. Lê (1968 – 2024) – Speaker: Pamela N. Corey
2. Textures of Memory Rewoven – Speaker: Adeena Mey
3. Untitled Presentation – Speaker: Trần Minh Đức Flyingbay

Panel Discussion 3: Photography and the Margins of Colonial History 

Speakers: Professor Yves Denéchère, Artist Nhu Xuan Hua, and Researcher Eléonore Tran

The third panel opens a dialogue on the spiritual and material legacies disrupted within the currents of postcolonial history. Under the theme Lost Homes, Vernacular Memories the speakers lead us into the “shadows” of history, where local memories and personal narratives are often overlooked in official records. The panel is divided into three presentations:

1. Images and Testimony: Narratives of Photographs of Displaced Children in a Postcolonial Context – Speaker: Yves Denéchère
2. Untitled Presentation – Speaker: Nhu Xuan Hua
3. Inhabiting the In-between: Vietnamese Diaspora Artists and Photography – Speaker: Eléonore Tran

We invite you to revisit these academic dialogues to gain a deeper understanding of how photography has shaped the past and continues to envision the future. 

Explore the full video series on Nguyễn Art Foundation’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@NguyenArtFoundation