It belongs to the second issue of the Makét periodical series from Matca. The book is a series of works, not in the same composition, a collection of different forms in documentary photography.
The book consists of 4 series of works by four artists who use the language of photography to explore the things and events that interest them at each moment in each person’s life. Personal problems under the influence of contemporary society, visual experimentation, or concerns about memory and the desire to belong – topics explored do not stand alone but constantly intertwine and cross.
I published and exhibited a project called “Wildlife,”; which was also shown at Xishuangbanna Foto Festival and Incheon port international photo and video festival; below is the title written by Nguyen Phuong Thao.
“A century-old scientific heritage is hidden inside the Museum of Biology, right under the dome of Hanoi University of Science. Little known outside of academia, the museum hosts hundreds of thousands of animal and plant specimens collected since the French colonial period. Inside the attic room utilized as a lab, ceiling-high wooden shelves are stocked with glass jars. The half-moon window casts faint light over snakes, reptiles, and amphibians caught gazing at visitors through the murky liquid.
Floating inside transparent containers, wild creatures in Binh Dang’s works bear an uncanny resemblance to these museum artifacts or exotic trophies stored in cabinets of curiosities in Renaissance Europe. Binh found them in various restaurants serving delicacies across mountainous Northern Vietnam nearly ten years ago. If not for his wit and patience, the request to take photos could have been easily dismissed. The resulting work allows us to look closely at animals that often exist only in rumors about their fantastic invigorating powers.
Photography’s ability to expose does not extinguish the aura of mystery surrounding these birds and beasts. During quiet nights, Binh covered himself with a black cloth, retreating into a chamber where he created these still-life portraits with minimal equipment. The glass surface, sometimes covered in droplets or scratches, is ever-present in tightly composed monochromatic frames. Volumes and textures slowly emerged from the dark. Fragments of disintegrated tissue appear to levitate in zenithal light, their purified essences sparkling like fairy dust.
Rare specimens are arranged in fierce poses and given elaborate names to amplify their grandeur. A goat fetus rests its head on ginseng roots; a wild cat curls up as if in a deep sleep. An iguana leans forward in a stalking position, and greater coucals with faded irises lift their sharp beak. The spectacle feeds the eye – visual pleasure accentuates the desire to exploit wildlife as consumables.
Volumes and textures slowly emerged from the dark. Fragments of disintegrated tissue appear to levitate in zenithal light, their purified essences sparkling like fairy dust.
As the initial stupefaction dies, a fundamental question remains: What are these? Unlike museum specimens, these do not come with information labels. The sublime begins to dissolve once we describe reality in plain sight. Animal bodies decay before our eyes: we witness the process toward annihilation. Here, photography provides the only evidence of their existence and disappearance. The gaze completes the transformation from the subject into an object, declaring them dead one more time. Shivering, we want to look away; yet simultaneously, we can’t help but stare transfixed.”
