Public Story
Urban Banalities and overlooked details of our urban environment
The pictures were taken in the regions of Italy Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto. The cities are Udine, Trieste, Venice, Verona and Ferrara.
The road signs we pass every day are often overlooked. But Michael Nguyen has developed an eye for the aesthetics of these ubiquitous symbols of road traffic. In his photographs, the signs become abstract works of art that take on a new narrative depth through shapes, colours and shadows. Nguyen captures the dynamics of urban life, emphasising the often overlooked visual details.
Windows are not only openings in buildings, but also interfaces between the private and the public. Michael Nguyen's photographs of windows tell stories of life, activities and emotions that are hidden behind the facades of the city. The reflections, plays of light and shadows that Nguyen captures lend the windows a fascinating complexity.
Grids, which are often seen as a simple security measure, become artistic compositions in Nguyen's series. The lattice structures become abstract patterns that embody the tension between openness and enclosure, order and chaos. The photographs reveal the beauty in the functional and encourage us to reflect on the role of these often overlooked elements in urban space.
”Urban Banalities and overlooked details of our urban environment” by Michael Nguyen offers the viewer a fresh perspective on the supposedly ordinary elements of the urban landscape. Through his photography, Nguyen succeeds in capturing the essence of traffic signs, windows, grids and more, emphasising their aesthetic significance. The series invites us to pause for a moment and appreciate the often overlooked details of our urban environment.