Exhibitions · 2025
The “Light and Shadow” Scent Exhibition – From Saigon to Hanoi
- Published
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 min
First published in Vietnamese on 18 February 2025. Translated in 2026 and kept to the original.
The olfactory art exhibition “Light and Shadow” is more than a creative space; it is also a long road, travelled with real devotion by the whole team. To bring the olfactory exhibition from Saigon to Hanoi’s community of scent and art lovers, Rei Nguyen and the production team faced many challenges, from preparation through to transport and installation. A look back at the “Letters from 221B Baker Street: Scents of Shadow” exhibition in Saigon
The making of “Light and Shadow”
Every olfactory exhibition is a dream made real, and behind that dream lie long hours of patient work. “Light and Shadow” grew out of inspiration, but it also reaches several senses at once: scent mingles with light, shadow and installation art, and each visitor leaves with stories of their own.
The installation was no small challenge. The aim was full immersion, with light, shadow and scent merging into one. Over nearly three months of preparation and three days of concentrated building, the team behind the exhibition worked through every stage meticulously, from planning the layout and storing each scent on show to checking the smallest details, so that visitors would have the finest experience possible.
A distinctive setting for the art of smell
Once the exhibition reached Hanoi, the team worked tirelessly to recreate the scent installation as it was first conceived. From setting the lighting to placing each scent, everything was done with care and precision. In preparing “Light and Shadow”, the team painstakingly gathered, sorted and preserved more than 2,000 letters; each letter in the exhibition is a trace brought back to life within the installation.
One of the highlights of the olfactory exhibition “Light and Shadow” is the meeting of installation art and scent. The exhibition is divided into eight areas, each recreating a story, a glimpse of an inner world, told through its own characteristic notes.
Bringing the scent exhibition “Light & Shadow” to Hanoi was a challenge, but it is also a story of passion, creativity and a resolve to bring the art of scent closer to the public. “Light & Shadow” is a bridge between the art of scent and audiences across Vietnam. For many visitors, this may be the first exhibition they have attended in which smell is the main way of taking in the work.
