ARTIST RECEPTION AND DISCUSSION: OCTOBER 5
Artist Statement | Teo Nguyen
“the politics of worthiness” is my invitation to contemplate, reflect, and imagine a difference-friendly world. I am an artist grounded by animism, a belief that all things have a spirit. I paint memories of a place, of a time, and of the lives that are there, even if we no longer see them. Humans are the primary subject of my artwork. Even if not visible, their imprints are there. The landscapes in this body of work refer to iconic war images. This body of work is about reverence and honoring the people, most of whom remain unnamed in the photographs.
As an artist, I often ask myself how I can influence the collective consciousness of the viewers and invite others to join a practice of peace. My art is my instrument of resistance, not intended to solve the past but to understand the present. When we come out to protest a war after bombs have been dropped and over three million have been killed, it is already too late. My artistic practice is, at its core, an expression of my cultural and spiritual identity, how I make meaning, and how, in the process, humanity is advanced through our connectedness.
