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Kenny Nguyen | |
|---|---|
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| Born | March 3, 1990 (age 35) Bên Tre Province, Vietnam |
| Education | University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City, University of North Carolina |
| Awards | Asian Art in London's Modern & Contemporary Asian Art Award (2024), Excellence Asia Contemporary Young Artist Award (2016) |
| Website | http://www.kennynguyen.org/ |
Kenny Nguyen Quoctrung "Kenny" Nguyen (born 1990, Bên Tre Province, Vietnam) is a Vietnamese-American mixed-media artist and painter known for his innovative process of creating dimensional artwork through layered, painted silk strips.[1] His work explores themes of cultural identity, displacement, and integration, highly influenced by his personal journey from rural Vietnam to the United States.[2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Nguyen was raised on a coconut farm in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam, where silk cultivation was part of his early surroundings.[1] He initially pursued fashion design[4] at the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City in 2008. In 2010, Nguyen and his family relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina.[5] This transition, which involved navigating a new language and culture, deepened the themes of reinvention that would surface in his art. He studied fine art and completed a BFA in Painting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2015.[1]
Artistic style and medium
[edit]Nguyen refers to his work as "deconstructed paintings"—three-dimensional textural pieces created by tearing silk into hundreds of strips, dipping them in acrylic paint, and attaching them onto raw canvas.[1] Through a meticulous process of layering and pinning, he constructs undulating, sculptural surfaces that can be displayed flat or three-dimensionally.[6]
Silk plays a central role in Nguven's practice—not only for its structural properties but also for its cultural resonance. Inspired by Vietnam's heritage in silk production, he uses the medium as a bridge between his Vietnamese roots and his evolving artistic identity. Color is equally significant in his work. Lesser-known Vietnamese color names such as "màu lúa chín" (harvest-ripened rice field) or "khói lam chiều" (evening smoke blue) inform his palette, weaving personal memory and linguistic nuance into the fabric of his art.[6]
Career and exhibitions
[edit]Nguyen has exhibited extensively in the U.S. and internationally. Solo exhibitions include:
- Confluence at the Branch Museum of Design (Richmond, VA, 2025)[2]
- The Divine Eye at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (Charleston, NC, 2025)[7][8]
- Adaptations at the Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC, 2024-2025)[3]
- Mother Tongue at Sundaram Tagore Gallery (NYC, NY, 2025)[6]
- Eruption at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, (Singapore, 2024)[9]
- Cham: Mapping Identity at Sugarlift Gallery (NYC, NY, 2024)[10]
- Home/land at Sugarlift Gallery (NYC, NY, 2023)[11]
- Kenny Nguyen: Identity Sozo Gallery (Charlotte, NC, 2021)[12]
His work has also been featured in group exhibitions at institutions such as Sejong Museum of Art (Seoul), CICA Museum (South Korea), Kunstwerk Carlshütte (Germany), Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, LaGrange Art Museum (Georgia), and the United States Capitol Complex.[1]
Awards, residencies, and recognition
[edit]Nguyen's work has received significant accolades and support, including:
- College of Arts + Architecture’s 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award in Art (2025)[13]
- Asian Art in London's Modern & Contemporary Asian Art Award presented by Sotheby's (2024)[5]
- Nomination for the Joan Mitchell Fellowship (2023)[5]
- Excellence Asia Contemporary Young Artist Award (Sejong Museum of Art, 2016)[5]
Residencies and fellowships include support from the Ragdale Foundation, The Hambidge Center, Vermont Studio Center, Gil Artist Residency in Iceland, Château d'Orquevaux in France, and AIR Guidiguada in Spain.[1]
Themes and artistic vision
[edit]Nguyen's work draws on his experiences of migration and cultural hybridization. The repetitive cycle of deconstruction and reconstruction in his process mirrors his personal narrative of adapting and reassembling identity. Silk, conceptually and materially, becomes a connective tissue in his work. It is rich in tradition, yet reshaped into something contemporary and resilient.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Quoctrung "Kenny" Nguyen is based in Concord, North Carolina, where he maintains his studio practice.[14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Kenny Nguyen - Overview". Maya Frodeman Gallery. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ a b "Confluence – The Branch Museum of Design". Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ a b "Kenny Nguyen: Adaptations". The Mint Museum. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ Logan, Liz (2021-08-26). "Kenny Nguyen's Art Is an Epic Tale Sculpted With Silk". Queen City Nerve. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ a b c d "Kenny Nguyen". www.sundaramtagore.com. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ a b c world, STIR. "In a New York solo, diaspora artist Kenny Nguyen makes colour his language". www.stirworld.com. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ "THE DIVINE EYE". Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ a b Art, The Halsey Institute of Contemporary (2025-08-22). "Kenny Nguyen: The Divine Eye". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ "Kenny Nguyen: Eruption | Sundaram Tagore Gallery". www.sundaramtagore.com. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ Sugarlift. "Kenny Nguyen: CHAM: MAPPING IDENTITY". Sugarlift. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ "Kenny Nguyen. Home/Land. - Exhibition at Sugarlift in New York". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ Pressler, Alyssa (2019). "KNOW: Artist Kenny Nguyen and 'a beautiful way to communicate'". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ Whalen, Meg (2025-06-26). "As his international reputation grows, Kenny Nguyen '15 is helping UNC Charlotte students build confidence and careers as artists". College of Arts + Architecture. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
- ^ Pingel, Maile (2024). "Unfurling Charlotte Artist Kenny Nguyen's Complex Silk Paintings". LUXE Interiors + Design | Architecture + Home Tours.
- ^ Brown, Virginia (2025). "How a Charlotte fiber artist entwines his Vietnamese heritage with his artwork". The Charlotte Observer.