About the artist:
The space located between stasis and change is one that is brimming with potential energy; a shift has been initiated, but nothing has burst or ruptured—yet. Rooted primarily in drawing, Z.T. Nguyen's practice is a continuous attempt at rendering the psychological contours of this space. Through washes of bright, alarming colors and unsettling, dreamlike imagery, his works often depict fantastical moments that are ripe with tension, uncertainty, discomfort, and desire.
Z.T. Nguyen (b. 1997, Silver Spring, MD) is an artist currently based between Maryland and New York. In 2025, he had his debut solo exhibition at island, New York. His work has been included in group exhibitions at Perrotin, New York; Klaus von Nichtssagend, New York; PTT Space, Taipei; Asia Art Archive in America, Brooklyn; and Vincom Center for Contemporary Art, Hà Nội; among others. He has participated in residencies, fellowships, and other artist programs at Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn; The Alternative Art School & MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, online; and Asia Art Archive in America. Nguyen received his BFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design in 2019 and his MFA in Painting & Printmaking from Yale School of Art in 2025.
Specs:
There is a tension in this drawing that results from the collision of desire with a hierarchy of power. The severed head is not necessarily decapitated or dead; it is very much alive. However, without a body, there isn't much it can actually do other than look, listen, speak, and perhaps even eat. Staring upwards from between the legs of the other person in the drawing, the head is essentially powerless. Is this an encounter of tenderness, or of dominance? Is the head enamored, afraid, or both?More
- Framed: 35.5 x 44.0 x 2.2 in.
- Signed
4:00 PM, Jan 8, 2026.
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