Visual artist Le Phi Long - PHOTO: COURTESY OF ORGANIZER

The “Land of Leisure” exhibition is part of the artist’s research project on Indochina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Taking place at both of Manzi’s spaces, the exhibition features a site-specific installation and a series of paintings created from old archival photos and drawings of wildlife hunting activities in Dalat during the colonial period.

The site-specific installation titled “DALAT” (Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem) combines a recording of hoof beats and a video depicting sunshine penetrating pine branches onto the floor of the art space.

The Latin phrase “Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem” (It Gives Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others) was used by the French colonial government in their official emblem of Dalat.

Meanwhile, the paintings and illustrations are created in black ink on white paper scattered with gold leaves and without backgrounds. Through the actions of compounding, recreating, cutting, pasting and smearing these images, the artist searches for a way to convert layers of meaning and to create a reflection of Dalat City.

The exhibition offers free entrance and runs until November 21 as part of Manzi’s art program supported by the Goethe-Institut. SGT