Quyen Nguyen
My grandmother inspired me to create my artwork. I would always remember my Grandmother would say, “rice is gold”. Taken on its surface this could mean that this simple food provides sustenance for millions of people and is a staple in dishes from many cultures. Looking at it metaphorically I realized it could mean to use my resources wisely, in life and in art.
Since Covid shifted the space and materials I had to work with, I started looking at home and personal space as my media. My friends and family spend most of their time in their bedrooms. I decided to incorporate that into my work. I made blueprints of the floors in my home, and I started recording the audio of the sounds of my family from various rooms in the house. Elusive silence is now the, “rice is gold”. I noticed when my remote math class was over, I had piles of crumpled worksheets on the floor. I decided to collect them, shred them and blend them into pulp, giving my math frustrations new worth by making them into new sheets of paper.
My grandmother’s wise words, “Rice is Gold”, proved more meaningful than I thought when she said them. They helped me realize that the process and materials were equal “gold”. I just had to find their worth.
If you'd like to see more of Quyen's Work: Quyen Nguyen