Persimmons
Nguyen's ceramic works employ a variety of techniques. The artist enjoys pushing her ceramic practice by combining her sculptures with other mediums and found objects, challenging the purity associated with porcelain. Fine details, mark making, and hand-painted glazes draw the viewer in close to appreciate the human touch in these pieces.
Artist's description:
As our reality becomes more entangled with the digital world, I find myself wanting to see more analogue work with evidence of the human hand. Tactility and haptic knowledge are very important for me as I consider myself a craftsperson. Though more time consuming and labour intensive, I enjoy the method of hand building, shaping and painting each individual fruit by hand, imbuing each object with its own distinctive character and vitality that would not be present if I had slip casted them. In art making, I believe that we are entitled to the labour but not necessarily the fruits, so one must find pleasure in the process.
We live in a very image-obsessed culture, yet everyday, it becomes harder and harder to distinguish what is real and what is fake or altered. These fruits exist as trompe l’oeil, they are a trickery of the eye meant to remind the viewer that one cannot depend on sight alone.
There are certain characteristics that are often associated with ceramics that I’m looking to challenge. By integrating found and prefabricated objects into my handmade sculptures and crudely nailing them to the wall, I want to help construct a new perspective of what clay can do and be. Ceramics are often seen as delicate and fragile objects, but it is also ancient earth forged by fire. It is vibrant matter. Clay has been here longer than human civilization and will surely outlast us as well.' - Michelle Nguyen
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Canadian painter Michelle Nguyen is known for her richly detailed, allegorical compositions that explore themes of identity, mythology, and historical erasure. Her paintings are populated by human and animal figures in shifting, often surreal states, at times elegant, humorous, or grotesque, set within dreamlike environments that balance beauty with unease. Working primarily in oil and pastel, Nguyen builds dense, immersive worlds layered with symbolism, narrative, and art historical references.
Drawing from classical motifs, literature, and mythology, Nguyen’s compositions evoke a space between dream and nightmare, where meaning remains fluid and open to interpretation. Her expressive use of colour, combined with gestural mark-making and intricate detail, creates visually arresting works that reward sustained viewing.
Born in Toronto and now based in Montreal, Nguyen received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Design from the University of British Columbia in 2016, and is currently pursuing her Masters of Fine Art at Concordia University in Montreal. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and internationally, including in New York and London.