Curator Edie Carpenter caught up with Charlotte artist Kenny Nguyen who was one of eight artists in GreenHill’s juried exhibition Constant Change.
Kenny Nguyen, Mysterious Sea, 2020, acrylic and ink on canvas, 72 x 55 inches
Nguyen was in Akureyri Iceland beginning a residency when he had to return to North Carolina due to COVID-19. Nguyen will go back in August 2021 as a Gilfélagiđ Artist Resident to complete a self-directed program, which offers a fully-equipped apartment, a gallery space for a solo exhibition at the end of the residency, and an art museum across the street that can host an artist lecture and opportunities to mingle with local artists.
During the short time he was in Iceland, Nguyen created Mysterious Sea inspired by the colors and landscape of Iceland and created in his signature construction technique in which fabric panels of painted and sewn fiber ribbons are formed into sculptural wall reliefs.
Working on his garden at home helped Nguyen manage the stress of interrupting his residency. He gives us a virtual tour of his raised vegetable bed here.