Michelle Nguyen: Predation

12 Jun 2020

We’re excited that gifted artist, Michelle Nguyen, has a new show – Predation – running online and in Toronto until June 20th.

‘This particular body of work,’ Nguyen writes in her artist statement, ‘explores the challenges of hybrid identity and cultural dysphoria through the utilization of representational binaries such as living and dead, inanimate and organic, beast and human, meat and animal, male and female, dark and light, wild and domestic, and predator and prey.’

‘These cacophonic tableaus blend the narratives of magic realist literature and Greco-Roman mythology while serving as the setting for a colourful cast of vaguely humanoid creatures in various stages of metamorphosis. The enigmatic nature of these fabricated worlds allows these hybrid characters to occupy multitude of dichotomies at once. (Is this a woman transforming into a swan, a swan transforming into a woman, or something different altogether?) Predation questions false ideas of purity and what it means to occupy identities that exist in limbo.’

In Praise Of Shadows

We were pleased to chat further with Michelle about Predation. She starts with a quote from Maggie Nelson’s book: The Argonauts: ‘Materials never leave this world. They just keep recycling and recombining.’

“Predation, by definition,” Nguyen says, “is the act of one organism consuming another. From a personal perspective, the word ‘predation’ suggest a mundane act of metamorphosis. Survival in nature itself always involves some form of sacrifice, the extinguishment of a life to nurture the life of another. Yet, though death is final, it is not the end. The body is transmuted, metabolized, and channeled into something else. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred. ”

Vanitas

“I want to fully acknowledge,” Nguyen continues, “the discomfort and endurance that accompanies the act of metamorphosis. We all learn about the life cycle of the butterfly at a young age. The radical transformation of caterpillar to butterfly is seen as a beautiful and poetic thing, often a symbol for rebirth in many cultures. In actuality, the transformation is a very gruelling process. Once in its chrysalis, it digests itself by releasing an enzyme that dissolves all of its tissues into a gooey soup before its cells reformulate into a completely different body. I cannot help but wonder what their growing pains ‘feel’ like.”

“I would really like this body of work to aid in reminding the viewer that real change is always going to be difficult, and often at times, painful,” Nguyen finishes. “I want viewers to know that though growing is painful, it is worth enduring. At this moment in time, I have been seeing a lot of non-black POC and white individuals attempting to reeducate themselves, and unlearn a lot of white supremacist ideas and values that have been built into our societies. I want ‘Predation’ to acknowledge the energy, patience, and endurance it requires to become better allies, and encourage them all to continue to fight the good fight.”