Today we’d like to introduce you to An Mien Nguyen.
Hi An, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
As you might have heard many times before from any artist, I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Art has always been a source of joy for me– despite its many, many, frustrations. I’ve always been compelled to make more figurative art than abstract, and focus primarily on colors and lines. Starting as a hobbyist and imitating anime, I eventually took the leap to join UNT’s Drawing & Painting program and began a lifelong body of work called The Immigration Series.
This series is directly related to my experience as a first-generation Vietnamese American daughter. My parents were boat people who met in Bidong Island and I was born in Kuala Lumpur where we lived until I was 4. After the closing of the camp, our family was repatriated back to Vietnam. We spent about 1 year with each side of the family, respectively, before finally traveling to America. As a child living through this experience, it simply felt normal; it was the only life I knew, so I didn’t give it much thought until later, in college, when I began to investigate stories to tell within my artwork. Naturally, The Immigration Series was born. These re-creations of family photographs chronicle my family’s journey of diaspora, identity, and memory as we moved through different countries, and worlds, on our way to becoming who we are today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No way! It has been one of those bumpy, gravel country roads where you have to watch out for deer running in front of your car! I went to college on scholarships and loans, struggled to reconcile technical ability with theory and conceptual art, and even after I received my degree, I went back to school for a Master’s in Education because simply being an artist isn’t enough to pay the bills. I just turned 30, and finally, feel like the road is getting smoother. I have 5 years of teaching experience under the belt as well as making art on the side. Most of it is my own hobby– portraits and fan art– but I also pick up commission work here and there and it’s a really great way to balance my passion with a career I also really love.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in digital portraiture. I feel like I’m constantly refining my skills, but have finally settled on a style that emphasizes fluid shapes and color when it comes to all the planes of a person’s face or even body. I like pushing saturation and creating painterly strokes, focusing on luminosity, and playing with light. Every portrait is an act of love and joy for me– I like to joke that I’m exorcising a creative itch each time I paint, but it’s a lot of fun!
Of course, The Immigration Series is what I’m most proud of, and what sets me apart. Although it’s a story that many first-gen Vietnamese person can relate to, mine can only exist due to all the unique bits and pieces of my family as well as my own childhood memories. In the process of re-creating each image, I am also investigating the mythos of childhood, like when you sit down with your parents and ask about an old photo you were in as a kid, but can’t remember anything about. I paint in what I remember, or what I think I remember and leave out what I don’t. I’m also investigating the erasure as well as creation of identity through diaspora, especially for my parents as they become citizens of a new country.
What’s next?
I’m really hoping that I can get back to selling my prints. Since the early stages of the series, when I was still creating for undergraduate shows and fleshing out the concept, I’ve been moving towards physically painting on each print to add on another layer of temporal meaning because the work is about change. Even memories, which seem like they should be concrete, are subject to evolution through to your interpretation of them. So, I’ve put my art online, made them more accessible on websites like Saatchi and INPRNT for fan art and other digital work, and now that I’ve permanently moved back to Dallas for good, have my fingers crossed that it’ll take off!
Of course, moving back to Dallas is the biggest change. It feels good to be home with family.
Pricing:
- Limited Edition Immigration Series Prints, 22 in. x 30 in., mixed media on 140 lbs cold press watercolor paper, $665 at SAATCHI
- Various other prints, art cards, canvas, etc. starting at $8 at INPRNT
- Digital portrait commissions, 8.5”x11” at 300dpi, starting at $200
- OC art, illustrations, moving graphics, etc., starting at $50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.anmiennguyen.com
- Instagram: snowfawns_art
- Other: https://www.saatchiart.com/anmiennguyen & https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/snowfawns/
