Photo : Thủy Tiên Nguyễn, Quel mois sommes-nous, mon amour?, 2026, Galerie Bao, Paris. Design graphique par Dan Ni
Thủy Tiên Nguyễn: What month is it, my love?
Starting from the little-known beginnings of Paris By Night filmed in Paris, Thủy Tiên Nguyễn composes an exhibition where sculpture, movement, and memory intertwine. Galerie Bao becomes the theater of a suspended history, crossed by the narratives of the Vietnamese diaspora and the persistent cycles of memory.
Galerie Bao (Paris 11th)
About
For her first solo exhibition at Galerie Bao in Paris, Thủy Tiên Nguyễn (born 1993 in Hanoi) leads an artistic reflection on culture, diaspora, and entertainment. Dividing her life and work between Hanoi and Frankfurt am Main, the artist recontextualizes the cult variety show Paris By Night, pursuing a kinetic exploration of staging and memory.
In the continuation of her exploration of sculpture, Thủy Tiên presents a series of glass monuments installed on motorized pedestals. In this new set of works, designed for the Galerie Bao space, she examines the first 21 episodes of the show, filmed in Paris at the Taratata studio.
Much more than a simple television show, Paris By Night occupied a unique place in Vietnamese cultural history. For diaspora communities (the Việt Kiều), it served as a site of memory, preserving musical repertoires, visual aesthetics, and cultural expressions that had disappeared from public life in Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975. For the public remaining in the country—where the show circulated via informal networks and piracy—it offered, during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, a rare window to the outside world and an alternative cultural horizon. Before the globalization of pop culture driven by MTV and the dominance of Vietnamese adaptations of Chinese and international popular music, Paris By Night constituted a shared audiovisual space, connecting audiences separated by geography, politics, and historical experience.
The lack of precise documentation on this filming period confers a mythological dimension to the backstage architecture and lighting mechanisms of Paris By Night, allowing the artist to deploy a profound reflection on readability, exile, and the perpetual mechanical loop of history. In this exhibition, Thủy Tiên Nguyễn transforms Galerie Bao into both a time capsule and a theatrical space. Suspended between stillness and movement, the exhibition reactivates fragments of a shared cultural memory.
Our take on this event
Step into a world where glass sculptures spin stories of memory, migration, and the golden age of Vietnamese variety television. This evocative installation turns the gallery space into a hypnotic stage, capturing the blurred lines between personal heritage and global pop culture history. A unique chance to experience how artistic observation can bridge the gap between continents and generations.
Galerie Bao presents Thủy Tiên Nguyễn's first solo exhibition, "Quel mois sommes-nous, mon amour?", running from October 16 to November 21, 2026. The artist examines the cultural impact of the iconic "Paris By Night" television show through a series of kinetic glass sculptures. By reflecting on the diaspora's relationship with memory and exile, the exhibition creates a unique, stage-like atmosphere in the heart of the 11th arrondissement. Admission is free, and the venue is fully wheelchair accessible as well as adapted for deaf or hard-of-hearing visitors. This exhibition is suitable for those aged 12 and over.
Dividing her time between Hanoi and Frankfurt, Thủy Tiên Nguyễn explores the intersection of diaspora, entertainment, and history. This exhibition centers on the first 21 episodes of the "Paris By Night" variety show, filmed at the Taratata studio. By recontextualizing the aesthetics and mechanical lighting of these broadcasts, the artist constructs a narrative that bridges the gap between geography and historical experience. The installations feature glass sculptures set on motorized bases, reflecting the artist's ongoing fascination with kinetic art and the perpetual cycle of history.
Visitors can view the exhibition from Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00 to 19:00, starting October 16 until November 21, 2026. The gallery is located at 49 avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris. Admission is free of charge, and the space is designed to be inclusive, accommodating both wheelchair users and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The exhibition is recommended for ages 12 and up, inviting attendees to step into a space where time and memory are continuously reactivated.
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