Join us for the next Meet the Maker featuring Kenny Nguyen.

Meet the Makers are quarterly get-togethers for members at the Postmodernist level and above to meet an artist or maker and learn about their creative process within an intimate setting. The Maker is often an upcoming exhibiting artist at the Halsey Institute or expands on introducing creative makers local to Charleston. They will give a presentation describing their inspiration, passions, process, and, ultimately, final result. Members are asked to bring “a bottle of wine and an open mind.” RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated! RSVP to AnchetaSM@cofc.edu.

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Kenny Nguyen creates what he calls “deconstructed paintings”, large, bold works that are comprised of hundreds of silk strips, which he cuts, paints, and meticulously applies onto canvas. The pieces may be hung in different iterations: sculpturally on the wall with undulations or flat, stretched like a painting on bars or behind glass. Born in Vietnam, Kenny moved to the states in 2010. After art school, he spent his early career in fashion. Working with silk has ties for the artist not only to dressmaking and patterns, but also long-standing associations to the material through his culture. The idea of cutting a fabric revered for its symbol of wealth, its beauty and delicacy in clothing, and its century-long ties to trade and status in Asia was a breakthrough for Nguyen. By taking something from tradition and reconstructing it, he was maintaining an association with his past while also making it is own. The process itself like the artist himself, a hybrid, blending cultures, and ideas, bringing to light the idea how identity is constantly changing over time, creating beauty and versatility.