Sauer's photo exhibition "Light and Dark Stars" runs from April 20-May 20 at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in Hanoi.

German photographer Adrian Sauer is one of the international artists joining the first photography biennale in Vietnam - Photo Hanoi'23. Photo: www.elmundo.es

Adrian Sauer (Leipzig, 1976) presents a careful and analytical view of the world through a wide range of motifs, including architecture, landscape elements, artificial constructions, and numerous genres ranging from classical photography to computer-generated art.

The artist conveys how the elements of photography appear and function and how they present us with an ever-changing image of the world.

Sauer's photographic work entitled "256 Shades of Gray" is one of the artist's highlights in Hanoi.

According to the artist, the work's title establishes what is to be seen: a series of gray tones which are graduated from dark to light.

“Anyone expecting visual opulence from the photographs will surely be slightly disappointed, Ironically, however, the promise of opulence that is associated with the brittle abstraction of the 256 shades could not be more pronounced,” he stated.

Indeed, Sauer disposes of a landscape of possible gray tones between pure black and white outer points to account for every hue. "Should one compare this installation to a visual test chart equal in scale, one must be more precise: it is not the camera being tested here, but rather our own ability to see."

The artwork titled Abstraction Layers (2022) by Adrian Sauer

Photography has gradually flourished in Vietnam in recent years, thanks to the involvement of many gifted photographers and thoughtful projects. However, Hanoi's art-loving community finds it difficult to access official works of high aesthetic value due to a lack of resources and art galleries.

The first photography biennial in Vietnam, Photo Hanoi'23, brings together more than 100 local and foreign artists working in the disciplines of photography and visual arts.

It is considered the first photography biennale in Vietnam, introducing more than 20 exhibitions at 20 different venues to the public alongside a variety of side events such as film screenings, workshops, seminars, portfolio reviews, art tours, and others.

Photo Hanoi’23 is expected to create a meeting place for national and international photographers, artists, researchers, and art educators, encouraging multi-dimensional dialogue on the role of visual language in contemporary art.