American Dream,  Kenny Nguyen

American Dream, Kenny Nguyen

$2,500.00

40 x 30

Silk, acrylic, on canvas

Kenny creates what he calls “deconstructed paintings” — large, bold works comprised of hundreds of silk strips that 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 ties him not only to the 

dressmaking and patterns of this career, 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 historical connection to trade and status in Asia was a breakthrough for Kenny. By taking something from tradition and reconstructing it, he was preserving a link with his past while also making it its own. The process (like the artist himself) is a hybrid of blending cultures and ideas, while bringing to light the way in which identity is constantly changing over time, creating beauty and versatility.

http://www.kennynguyen.org