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Ode to Proteus
Michelle Nguyễn, 8 June - 1 July 2023

Ode to Proteus: Michelle Nguyễn

Past exhibition
  • Overview
  • Works
  • Installation Views
  • Press
Overview
'Shapeshifter, 2023' by Michelle Nguyen
'Shapeshifter, 2023' by Michelle Nguyen
In her first solo show in the UK, Canadian-Vietnamese artist Michelle Nguyen explores shapeshifting and metamorphosis as profoundly human experiences.

The title of Michelle Nguyen's first solo exhibition in London refers to the mythological figure Proteus, a god capable of assuming many forms. From his shapeshifting abilities comes the adjective "Protean", meaning "mutable" or "versatile", which has positive connotations of flexibility and adaptability.

 

The concept of shapeshifting is central to Nguyen's production. This new collection of works investigates how change pervades every sphere of our existence, with each artwork touching upon a specific area: from the ambivalent nature of grief, to the evolution of cultural beliefs, through the study of morphing creatures, both mystical and natural, to the constant transformation of our own identity.

Rejecting the notion of static, monolithic reality, Nguyen believes that all things, visible, palpable, and abstract, are connected to each other and as such mutation and metamorphosis are profoundly human experiences.

  • Access the Catalogue
Works
  • Michelle Nguyen, Altar for Hungry Ghosts, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Altar for Hungry Ghosts, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Shapeshifter, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Shapeshifter, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Vanitas, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Vanitas, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Cockfighting Vessel II, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Cockfighting Vessel II, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Fighting Cock Vessel, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Fighting Cock Vessel, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Amuse-bouche, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Amuse-bouche, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Flooded Fountain, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Flooded Fountain, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Smokescreen, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Smokescreen, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Werewolves, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Werewolves, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Weaving, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Weaving, 2023
  • Michelle Nguyen, Moths, 2023
    Michelle Nguyen, Moths, 2023
Installation Views
  • 'Ode to Proteus', June 2023, Gillian Jason Gallery, London
    'Ode to Proteus', June 2023, Gillian Jason Gallery, London
Press
  • 'Vanitas, 2023; by Michelle Nguyen

    Michelle Nguyen: Ode to Proteus

    Kendra Lee, Made in Bed, June 29, 2023
Back to exhibitions

Gillian Jason Gallery

19 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 8AZ

+44 (0) 207 323 1714

info@gillianjason.com

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