Captivating Images from the Middle East Exhibit in Hanoi

"The Weights of Things" is Eddie Ryan's first-ever exhibition in Vietnam. Previously, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the land he called home for 10 years. It was also the place the Irishman began to pursue a career in photography so the exhibition is a farewell to a big part of his life.

Since the majority of UAE's population was made up of immigrants, there is diversity everywhere. By shooting intimate and personal things as the apartment complex that lived and worked in the UAE or the small and everyday items he encountered in the area where the large numbers of residents are concentrated, he documents the human interactions with space and around things.Thereby, the visual experience evokes a multi-dimensional perspective.

The event is held at Matca Space for Photography, located at 48 Ngoc Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi (Photo: Matca)

According to the Irishman, life in the UAE is about the beauty of diversity. The dozens of photos displayed are not the same size or form and the difference is significant. They are not aligned with each other, which is an arrangement to make sure their uniqueness stand out.

"The arrangement of strings and lines [in the photos] is meant to tell you something as you go through [the exhibition]. The use of light also tell a story," said Eddie.

The Irish artist strictly follows a principle when shooting, which is no photos showing people nor display photos of people in any form without their consent. While this is something Eddie adapted to while living in the UAE, the more he works on his crafts, the more this principle sparks creativity.

"At the start, I was conscious of taking of the images [because of the laws] yet in the photographs, the evidences of showing people all the way through," exclaims Eddie out about his way of storytelling.

Before "The Weight of Things," Eddie was active in photographer communities in the UAE, which gave him some of his majot successes such as group photography exhibitions in Dubai and Sharjah, and winning his spots at the Lensculture Critics Choice Awards two years in the row.

Recalling these important milestones, Eddie was both excited to close an chapter of his life and readily to see what Vietnam's capital has to offer.

Eddie doesn't put title to any of the pictures, offering viewers a sense of curiosity about the story behind (Photo: Matca)

One of the first guests at the exhibition, Jon Kuiter (British nationality, Hanoi resident), felt that "The Weight of Things" shed a new light on the way he perceives daily life.

"I'm inspired by the way he observes and see the metaphor in simple things. A lot of those can be seen here in the streets of Vietnam, the hairdressers on the street, the flower lady,... Having seen what he went through in the UAE inspired us to look at the city we live lin differently," said Jon.

Photos displayed are not the same size or form, the differences is significant (Photo: Matca).

Eddie Ryan is a photographer and graphic design educator living and working in Vietnam. In 2022, he earned Master's degree in Photography from the Belfast School of Art (Ulster University). With many years following his passion for photography, Eddie was active in like-minded communities in UAE and exhibited in many group exhibitions such as Vantage Point Sharjah (Sharjah), The Arab Street Vol. II (Dubai). His works were selected for online exhibition at many international award such as Lensculture Critics Choice Awards (2020, 2022), Print Swap Exhibition (2018).

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