Zhuang Wubin's ‘Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey’ aims to map the emergence and trajectories of photographic practices in Southeast Asia including Việt Nam. Photo courtesy of Matca

HÀ NỘI - A talk on photography in Southeast Asia will be conducted by Zhuang Wubin in Hà Nội tonight at 6.30pm, free of charge.

The talk, entitled A Short History of Documenting in Southeast Asia, focuses on the basic function of a camera, to create a document. Since the inception of photography, photographers across Southeast Asia have understood and utilised the act of documenting in different ways.

The different ways in which they approached the act of documenting have been shaped by the social milieu and the desires of individual photographers, and those of the state and other institutions.

In this session, Singaporean writer and researcher Zhuang will share examples of how documenting was used by the elites during the colonial period, how it was understood by the salon photographers, and how it has been deployed during decolonisation and the making of the nation.

Zhuang is a writer who makes photographs, publications and exhibitions. He received his PhD by Published Work (Research–Photography) from University of Westminster, London. 

Among Zhuang's educational and curatorial activities in Việt Nam is Love and Desire: A Reunion Show, an exhibition showcasing eight personal projects by Vietnamese participants in his workshops from 2013 to 2018.

His fourth book Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey (2016) is an independent research work that aims to map the emergence and trajectories of photographic practices in Southeast Asia. Spanning 12 years, the research cumulates in a 10-chapter book correlating with 10 countries.

Its Việt Nam chapter starts with the pioneering Đặng Huy Trứ and Khánh Ký, and includes war photojournalists, photo artists, and post-đổi mới contemporary practitioners from different parts of Việt Nam as well as overseas Vietnamese.

One of a few comprehensive surveys of photography in the region, the book provides a much-needed reference and lays the foundation for further study of the field.

The talk, in English, will be held from 6.30pm - 8pm with free entrance at Matca Space for Photography, 48 Ngọc Hà Street, Ba Đình District.

Zhuang will also conduct a workshop on writing photography, held from March 2 to 6. - VNS