HÀ NỘI — Internationally-acclaimed Vietnamese artist and photographer, Nguyễn Thế Sơn, will present his current body of work depicting the rapid metamorphosis of the landscape of Việt Nam and how this drastic change is affecting the lifestyles of the Vietnamese people.

The exhibition, City and Memory, is a collection of Sơn’s work that spans several years of research and acute observation. In 2008, he took a five-year leave of absence from his teaching duties at the Việt Nam Fine Arts University to procure his masters in photography at CAFA, Beijing.

There, Sơn developed a series of three dimensional photographs depicting the rapid development in Việt Nam that are not only innovative but also thought-provoking, challenging the viewer to examine this transformation and its effect on society.

Nature: A work by Sơn depicitng the rapid metamorphosis of the landscape of Việt Nam.

For the first works in this series Sơn created images of the precious street frontage of the quintessentially narrow Vietnamese house known as a symbol of power and prosperity, the Nhà Mặt Phố (house facing the street). For this Nhà Mặt Phố photo relief series Sơn was awarded the talent prize at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts Master’s Program in Beijing in May 2012.

He continued this work with his Nhà Tây Transforms series of the French villas built over 100 years ago and their current transformation, following with his Nhà Tập Thể series, a collection of 60s, Soviet-styled apartment blocks.

Hosted by Art Vietnam Gallery in collaboration with the newly established centre for architecture and art, Agohub, City and Memory will open from 6pm tomorrow and run until March 31. Agohub is at 12 Hòa Mã Street. — VNS