Kenny Nguyen

My work explores the concept of cultural identity, integration, and displacement. My studio practice is influenced by  Vietnamese cultural heritage and background in fashion design. I use silk, a cultural-rich material, as a metaphor for my personal identity. 

Silk has an important role in Vietnamese culture as well as the traditional art. After I’ve moved to the U.S, my research has shifted from traditional silk painting techniques to deconstruction and reconstruction of the textile itself.  I used the material as a medium to paint and build a new structure for each installation.  It's a repeated process of destroying and recreating. Cutting, tearing, beating, sanding. Sewing, weaving, attaching, layering. Silk has becomes the connector that tied both cultures together. 

My Silk Piece installations were constructed in the way garment would be made.  I sculpted them based on an imagination body.  Each fold and drape was secured temporarily with a push pin and constantly changed during the installation process. The forms are not permanent. When I reinstall the piece in a new space this process will be repeated but the result will never turn out the same.  The transformation of silk from a delicate to sculptural material was reminiscent of my identity transformation. I see silk as my second skin, borrow it to reconstruct my own self and recapturing memories.