By Trần Khánh An

On the sizzling and humid days of Hà Nội, photography enthusiasts in the capital have had the opportunity to explore the forensic photography project The Weight of Things through the lens of Irish photographer Eddie Ryan.

Eddie Ryan is a photographer and graphic design educator living and working in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Eddie Ryan

Before moving to Việt Nam at the end of 2022, Eddie spent more than ten years living in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Weight of Things is his first solo exhibition in Việt Nam and also a nostalgic farewell to UAE as the second home he had lived in for so many years.

Eddie challenges visitors from the moment they set foot into Matca Space for Photography, where his artworks are showcased. Yet, despite visitors’ perceptions of UAE as the Middle East's utopia with modern skyscrapers and luxurious facilities, Eddie approaches it from a different angle.

The exhibition provides a glimpse into the living spaces without humans, leftover belongings, and temporal arrangements on the sand of migrant workers who silently come and go.

To protect individual identities, it is against the law in the UAE to take photographs of others without their permission. At first, this was challenging, but Eddie eventually discovered a way to portray individuals' stories without showing their faces.

A quote by Wim Wenders influenced Eddie's photographic approach: "As a photographer, I am strictly a listener. I listen to stories told to me not by people, but by landscapes and places, by houses and streets."

Only one of the project's photos reveals the presence of a migrant worker.

A photo in the exhibition ‘The Weight of Things’ has the presence of a person. — Photo courtesy of Eddie Ryan

“I was continuing to work out the subtleties of engaging in cultural enquiry in a specific geographic location, operating within the boundaries of respect and the laws of the country that gave me a place to live,” he shared.

In addition to addressing the temporal instability of the lives of Middle East’s migrant workers, The Weight of Things also deliberately examines the artist's ‘in-between’ state.

"The Weight of Things intended to manifest the ‘in between’ I found myself in on several fronts: I was between there and home as neither a permanent resident nor naturalised citizen; I was classed as an expatriate, not an economic migrant even though the latter was the fact."

He describes his creative state as ‘in between’ regarding not only geographic location as an expat working around the world but also as a respectful cultural enquiry. His ‘in-between’ state of mind is also used to explore the non-material culture of ideas, beliefs, habits and values of a country.

Eddie Ryan (second from left) at the opening of ‘The Weight of Things’ at Matca Space for Photography. — Photo courtesy Matca Space for Photography.

Eddie projected one photograph onto a screen and then re-captured it. Through his intentional attempt to present what is behind a shutter, he delivers his perspectives on how expat artists create art abroad.

“As artists, we are inevitably influenced by our cultural preconceptions - we overlay reality with a cultural screen and filter,” he shared as the reason behind his experiment.

“Artists should always be aware of their cultural biases when creating artwork. I avoid projecting my cultural conceptions onto those of others, or considering other civilisations as ‘exotic’, instead capturing the authentic beauty of the local heritage as it is.”

Regarding his upcoming project in Việt Nam, Eddie admitted he embarks on executing photography without considering ideas or determining materials and medium first: “Currently, I enjoy my time taking photos around Hà Nội, putting me in a meditative state of mind. I often go for walks around the town to manifest inspiration." — VNS.