Em
24″ x 36″
2026
We snuck in a photoshoot for my reference when our family weren’t home with the clothes they had kept hidden away. The title “Em” is a Vietnamese pronoun used to refer to a younger person (my sibling in this case), but is also a feminine pronoun in a relationship. The title and the painting itself also reference the painting “Em Thuý” by Trần Văn Cẩn which Vietnamese art institutions have canonized as one of the great art works.
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“Lan” là tên của mẹ/ “Orchid” is my mother’s name
30″ x 48″
2026
A painting about my relationship with my mother (whose name is literally Orchid) during the 23 years I had lived oversea without her.
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Altar
30″ x 48″
2025
One half is about my relationship with a loved one who came out as trans to me. I don’t live in Vietnam so I can’t be there for them as I should.
The other half is just about queer love and intimacy in general. The tiled floor and yellow wall is inspired by the Viet temples while the space itself resembles the home I grew up in. A few of the childhood photos were lent to me by queer friends. My partner lent me make up and props.
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Ghost
24″ x 36″
2025
Cement tiles (gạch bông) is an artisan-made material that came to Vietnam during the French Colonial period. The material at one point mostly disappeared from Vietnam with the advent of easier produced materials, and as old buildings are demolished to be replaced with more modern, minimalist, architectures. I grew up around these tiles, with distinct memories of tracing their decorative outlines as a kid. I replicated this specific design from my grandmother’s home, which was demolished while I was abroad. Watching these changes from a distance due to my life abroad makes me feel like a ghost, foreign and perhaps even invasive like the tiles. The further I move away the more I find myself clinging to their memories for dear life.
Anh Hà Bùi 