Biography
Mzung Nguyen (b.1982) is an interdisciplinary artist from Vietnam with a background in journalism and filmmaking. Her diverse interests and skills make her a multipotentiality. Mzung Nguyen completed her journalism studies in Hue, Vietnam (2006) and then pursued intensive training in filmmaking, including programs with the Ford Foundation in Hanoi (2007-2008), the University of Southern California in America (2009), and the Asia Film Academy in South Korea (2009).
For the first decade of her career, Mzung Nguyen focused on writing and producing documentaries while living in various countries abroad. Her duo of experimental films, "Sleeping in the City" (2016) and "The Light after Life" (2017), were the result of her cross-cultural observations.
More recently, Mzung Nguyen has turned her attention to the arts, exploring oil painting, collage, sculpture, and installation. In 2022, she exhibited her art collection for the first time in Vietnam, featuring a unique series of mix-media paintings titled "Movement”. While her art no longer directly reflects the social and cultural complexities of her documentary work, she still aims to capture the essence of transmutation's stillness in her creative output.
Group Exhibition
-2024-2025, "After Dusk, Sunlight" - The Gallery at Regent Phu Quoc, Vietnam ( from June 15th); curator Tam Huynh & Luxuo Vietnam
-2024 “Collective Memories” – Oh Art, Amanaki Thao Dien, 10 Nguyen Dang Giai, Thao Dien ward, District 2, Thu Duc city, Vietnam & Silart Station, Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam & Hutech University, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam (June 1 st – June 9 th): curator Oh Art Festival
-2024 “Metropolis of Minds” – De La Sól, 244 Pasteur, District 3, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam (May 18th – May 29th): curator Oh Art Festival
Solo Exhibition
-2023 "Introspection" - 11:11d’Artistes, Thao Dien ward, District 2, Thu Duc city, Vietnam
-2022 "Movement", Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), Hanoi, Vietnam
Film screening & awards
Sleeping in the City & The Light after Life, experimental films (p. 2016)
2018, Screening at Carsey-wolf center, UC Santa Barbara, USA: curator Nguyen Anh Tuan
2017, Screening at Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt
2017, Golden Kinabalu Award of KKIFF
2017, Special Mention – for Cinematography of KKIFF
2015, Special Jury, Vietnam wildlife film fest
2009, Silver Prize
Empty City, short film (p.2009)
2009, "10 tháng 10 phim" TPD Prize
Artist Statement
My artworks are an exploration of the concept of liminality - the state of being in-between. I am deeply inspired by the fusion of various creative disciplines, which allows me to transcend the confines of conventional thinking and delve into the realm of the unknown.
My perspective is one that embraces the complexity of existence and recognizes the inherent duality that exists within everything. The bustling metropolis, with its vibrant energy and compressed spaces, embodies the essence of this duality - the interplay between the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, growth and stillness.
Through my art, I seek to capture the beauty and poignancy of these transitional moments, where change is imminent and uncertainty reigns. By embracing the transitory nature of existence, I hope to offer viewers a glimpse into the profound interconnectedness of all things.