Oil on panel, 2023
Suspension is part of an ongoing body of work that expresses Nguyen’s curiosity about self-tokenism and what it means for the exploration of one’s ancestry. The broken vase depicted in the painting is decorated with chinoiserie—a European decorative style defined by its appropriation of east Asian/Southeast Asian art and aesthetics—and is adorned with a necklace of protective jade beads.
Born, raised, and living in Tkaronto (Toronto), Phuong Nguyen is a visual artist working in representational oil painting and experimental weaving. She uses these media to explore themes of self-discovery through self-tokenism and fantasy by referencing the aesthetic and history of chinoiserie. Recently, she had a solo show with TAP Artspace (Montréal, 2023) and received the Visual Artist Creation Grant (2023 OAC) and the Visual Artists Program: Creation (2022 TAC). Her work is included in private collections across Canada. She holds a BFA from OCAD University (2014).