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Chau Nguyen (b. Hanoi, Vietnam) (they/she) is a Vietnamese immigrant artist based in Philadelphia. They navigate the intersection of art, technology, private/ collective memory, Vietnamese histories, and popular culture in their creation of transnational art objects. Nguyen received their BA in Fine Arts and History of Art from Bryn Mawr College and their MFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Their artist residencies include Ragdale Foundation (Lake Forest, IL), Cow House Studios (Wexford, Ireland), Millay Arts (Austerlitz, NY), Wassaic Project (Wassaic, NY), Byrdcliffe Artist Residency (Woodstock, NY), and others. Their work has been in group and solo exhibitions at the National Liberty Museum, Delaware Contemporary, Woodmere Art Museum, Pentimenti Gallery, Temple Contemporary, Automat Collective, Studio Montclair, Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (Vietnam), Gallery Steinsland Berliner (Sweden), and others.
Nguyen has received fellowships, grants, and awards from The Loretta C. Duckworth Scholars Studio at Temple University Libraries, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Woodmere Art Museum, Joseph Robert Foundation, Ragdale Foundation, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and others. https://chauspace.com IG @chauspace |
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Email Exhibition Screenshot
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April 03, 2024 Email Transcript
Dear Audience,
This is Chau Nguyen. Thank you for your interest in Unhomely. You can expect to receive one email from me on Wednesdays during the exhibition period. Unhomely Presentation order: 1. Fiona Yun-Jui Chang, March 13/ 20/ 27 2. Chau Nguyen, April 3/ 10/ 17 3. Kristi Wallace Knight, April 24/ May 1/ May 8 I want to introduce Skywatchers, a three-channel video that draws upon my encounter with a Vietnam War bomb shelter near my grandmother’s home in Nghe An. This work will be presented in video segments. After the exhibition concludes, the full video will be available in our Unhomely archive. I hold Skywatchers close to my heart because of my artistic sensibility at a time of global turmoil, and my relationships with the people depicted in the work. Please walk with me and witness the stories of a people, who refuse to be defined by the national and personal catastrophes that happened to them. The link below contains the first video segment. I have also attached the exhibition information for record keeping. https://vimeo.com/930131626 Best, Chau |
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Email Exhibition Screenshot
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April 10, 2024 Email Transcript
Dear Audience,
Please see this link for Part 2 of Skywatchers. This part is about 5 minutes in length. https://vimeo.com/932742040 My Vimeo links will be available until the end of our "Unhomely" exhibition, after which the parts will be combined into a full video work for public viewing. I’d love to hear your comments, questions, and proposals regarding this work! Best, Chau |
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Email Exhibition Screenshot
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April 17, 2024 Email Transcript
Dear Audience,
Please see part 3 of Skywatchers here: https://vimeo.com/935708190. Regarding the specific Unhomely prompt, I’d say that the message is the medium. I would like to thank Linh, Devric, Fiona, Kristi, my family, and everyone who took time to critique the early drafts of this work, for letting me go on this journey. These 3 Vimeo links will be available until the exhibition concludes, after which I will upload the full work onto a public archive. “Skywatchers” is an independent project. It had me live in Vietnam time (GMT+7) for 3 months, learn Adobe Premiere almost from scratch, and navigate many challenges unique to directing a transnational film. I decided to leave the ending of the work where it is since I need to make time for some concurrent exhibitions. I’d love to initiate some conversations regarding the current content of the work for it to expand later. I do hope to see “Skywatchers" on projector screens somewhere around Philadelphia, and I hope you can join me when that time comes. I really appreciate the responses I have had so far on the work, and would love to hear your thoughts on it. I think that the ending is not a sad ending because it ends with my generation. I wouldn’t think that ours are a sad story. If anything, I’m a more avid sky watcher than my family. My part in Unhomely ends here. I would like to pass this on to Kristi Wallace Knight, who will begin presenting her work beginning April 24th. Best, Chau |
Skywatchers (2024)
3-channel video, experimental documentary, 11 min.
Chau Nguyen draws upon their encounter with a Vietnam War bomb shelter near their grandmother's home in Nghe An to reflect on wartime survival tales, intergenerational trauma, spirituality, and hope in postwar Vietnam.
3-channel video, experimental documentary, 11 min.
Chau Nguyen draws upon their encounter with a Vietnam War bomb shelter near their grandmother's home in Nghe An to reflect on wartime survival tales, intergenerational trauma, spirituality, and hope in postwar Vietnam.
