If your idea of Hanoi culture stops at egg coffee and the Old Quarter, Á Space in Long Biên is making a case for a detour. The experimental art venue is hosting the first-ever duo exhibition by Vietnamese artists Trịnh Anh and Lê Tâm, a lacquer-focused show about where humans fit among other forms of life.
The two artists spent two years in the studio working with lacquer across different surfaces before arriving at the pieces now on display. Their approaches differ in a way that gives the show its tension: Trịnh Anh paints imagined organisms, probing how objects change over time through a personal, subjective lens, while Lê Tâm works with controlled bodies and pushes traditional lacquer onto unconventional materials. Put side by side, the works ask a question that lingers — what separates us from everything else that's alive?
Both artists have solid credentials for a first pairing. Anh's work has appeared at Atena Exhibition Space, the Young Artist Festival 2026 and the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts' 100+ Student Coursework Exhibition. Tâm showed in the Việt Nam–Korea Cultural Exchange group exhibition in 2025 and in Conversation with Ukiyo-e at Hanoi's Temple of Literature in 2024.
The show is curated by Đặng Thùy Anh, an artist and curator increasingly known for performance and conceptual work, who has exhibited and performed in Germany, Thailand, Japan and China. It's part of the second season of the Solomarathon 2026 programme at Á Space — a reminder that Hanoi's contemporary art scene is active well beyond the usual tourist corridor.
Why should a traveller care? Lacquer (sơn mài) is one of Vietnam's signature art forms, and seeing young artists experiment with it — rather than the polished gallery staples — is a rare look at where the medium is heading. The venue itself sits in Long Biên, across the river from the tourist centre, so combining the exhibition with a cycle ride over Long Biên Bridge makes for a genuinely local afternoon. The exhibition runs until October 18 at Lane 59, Ngô Gia Tự Street, Long Biên Ward, and entry to spaces like this is typically free or minimal.
For art lovers and curious visitors alike, it's a good excuse to see a different side of Hanoi — quieter streets, small independent galleries and a contemporary scene that doesn't advertise itself on walking-tour maps.
Story via Vietnam News Life.
