Matca is an independent initiative dedicated to photography as a form of visual art. Founded in 2016 in Vietnam, Matca has evolved across many platforms, including but not limited to an online journal, a physical space, and a publishing project. By not constraining Matca to a specific organizational structure, Matca believes that they can experiment, evolve and adapt to the changing local context.
Matca starts as an online journal, which now hosts an ever-growing archive with more than 200 articles about photography in English and Vietnamese. They feature photographic projects of all kinds, document ongoing movements in the local scene, and raise critical questions regarding various aspects of this visual practice.
“Our focus does not lie in any specific genre but individual voices in photography and writing. The journal serves photography practitioners, audience, researchers and critics.”
Image from the article "The Eden of Pipo Nguyen Duy"
Pipo Nguyen Duy is a professor of photography and the chair of the studio art department at Oberlin College, OH, USA. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Photography at the University of Mexico. Pipo has received many awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography, the artist-in-residence at Monet’s Garden, and the Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program. Pipo is represented by ClampArt in New York and his work has been exhibited and is in public collections across United States, Europe and Asia.. Connect with Pipo via Instagram.
Matca Space for Photography is located on the 3rd floor of the creative complex at 48 Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, stacked between a cafe, a photo studio, and studio apartments. This artist-run space is where Matca organizes exhibitions, host discussions and introduce photo books, among other things.
Opened in April 2019, space reflects their vision to broaden public understanding of photography and allow emerging photographers to showcase their works in an environment where resources remain scarce. They are not solely motivated by picture-perfect exhibitions, but the process of working and growing together.
