ARTIST SEEKING RELEVANCE

By Chi Nguyen

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Bye, Artist Seeking Relevance

Hi all, 

I haven’t been active on here for a while. In an effort to reduce my internet footprint, I will close Artist Seeking Relevance shortly. If you would like to follow my work, please join me on Instagram and Twitter @whatchidid or my website at www.whatchidid.com. 

Thank you! 

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On March 2nd, 2016, the United States Supreme Court will hear the most important reproductive rights case in almost 25 years. The decision will determine whether Texas can shut down nearly all abortion care providers in the state and prevent 5.4 million women of reproductive age from accessing the healthcare they need.

Using craft as activism, artist Chi Nguyen—in partnership with the Textile Arts Center and the Center for Reproductive Rights—am holding a series of stitch-ins to make physical the number of women whose right to safe and legal abortion is currently at risk. With each line representing an individual woman, the 5.4 Million and Counting project is only finished when all 5.4 million lines are embroidered.

The public is invited to Draw the Line by joining the embroidery process at the stitch-ins, or by sending in their own 10x10” swatches with as many tally marks (卌) as they would like to embroider. All swatches will be patched onto a larger quilt to be used at the Supreme Court rally on March 2nd, 2016.

Collaborative Stitch-in Events (All materials are provided) Thursday, February 18: 6-9PM, Brooklyn Sunday, February 21: 2-7PM, Manhattan Monday, February 22: 6-9PM, Brooklyn Sunday, February 28: 11AM-6PM, Manhattan

Locations: Brooklyn 505 Carroll St, #17 Brooklyn NY11215

Manhattan 26 West 8 St, 
New York, NY10011

How to Participate If you cannot join the public stitch-ins but would like to participate, please follow the directions below. We cannot accomplish this project without you. • You can use a 10x10 inch swatch in any material and color. A contrasting thread color is important to ensure that your tallies are visible. • Once finished, indicate the number of lines you have embroidered on a notecard. Please write your name on the same card if you would like to be acknowledged by the project. • Send all materials to: Kelly Valletta, 5.4 Million and Counting Project Textile Arts Center 505 Carroll St Brooklyn NY11215

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You are invited to i hope to find you at the end of this, 2nd iteration

i hope to find you at the end of this in its second iteration, is the shedding of my hair as a remembrance to my N. W. and to the part of me that she had loved most. 843 days before her suicide, with my hair covering the side of her neck, she told me once that everything would be okay.

i hope to find you at the end of this is a space that welcomes you to share your own experiences—your own mourning, yearning, and loss—in memory of the ones you loved. Please feel free to donate a strand, a lock, a tumble of your hair to be incorporated into the weaving during the performance.

2:00PM – Hair shedding ­ 2:05PM to 8:00PM – Weaving [Hair donations can be placed next to the loom throughout the performance]

If you cannot make it to TheaterLab on October 10 but would like to donate your hair, you can drop-off or ship them to 252 Java Street, #336, Brooklyn NY 11222. All hair donated between 10/10/2015 and 10/09/2016 will be a part of the weaving.

The performance is free and all donations will go to the It Gets Better Project to raise awareness, fund suicide prevention and anti-bullying programs for LGBTQ youth.

For more information on the project, please visit www.ihopetofind.com.

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War on Women is Over! If You Want It

What is the "War on Women is Over! If You Want It" campaign? 

On the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the historic decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that recognized a woman's constitutional right to abortion, the Center for Reproductive Rights has launched a new campaign, “War on Women Is Over! If You Want It,” to educate and activate individuals on the profound threats to women’s freedom.

Over the last four years, politicians across the U.S. have enacted 231 new restrictions on abortion. Now women are facing an unprecedented and dramatic loss of safe, legal abortion services due to these sham laws designed to eliminate access to reproductive health care—all under the pretext of protecting women’s health.

“War on Women is Over! If You Want It” was inspired by the power and vision of Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s original 1970s “War Is Over” campaign, with permission from Yoko Ono.

To support the campaign, the Center for Reproductive Rights (@ReproRights) is urging individuals to join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #WarOnWomen and call on Congress to promote genuinely pro-woman policies like the recently reintroduced Women’s Health Protection Act.

I am incredibly honored to work on this project with the Center for Reproductive Rights, with permission with Yoko Ono, and in partnership with Tattly. 

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Artist Seeking Silence 

This Friday, December 19th, a pro NYPD Rally is planned at City Hall. We are calling for a silent vigil at Thank you NYPD Rally in honor and memory of the lives lost to police brutality. It is important that we remain silent during this action. They expect us to be "angry, loud and irrational." We need to let them know that we feel something much deeper than just frustration. Let our silence be the loudest sound they hear. Please wear all black and bring signs or posters with images of people who have lost their lives at the hands of police brutality and racial discrimination. 

For up-to-date information on the vigil, please follow this page. 

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i hope to find you at the end of this is a durational and iterative process that focuses on the yearning for a lover who is no longer around and a past that cannot be relived.

Can one throw away the baggage of guilt, grief, and yearning? Would closure come more easily if mourning is dealt with frequently? Can time heal all things, if so, when? The process is carried out every October 10, with the last iteration being put to rest when there is nothing left to yearn for and mourn for anymore.

This is the recording of the first iteration on 10.10. 2014. The performance lasted for 7 hours and 15 minutes. 5:00 - 6:00 / Winding 6:00 - 7:30 / Counting 7:30 - 12:15 / (Un)tangling Complete video recording can be found at www.vimeo.com/whatchidid. More photos can be viewed at: http://goo.gl/ColueM.

Photographer: Sacha Vega

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The Joy of Being Your Baggage  Another Dating Advice

After a serious chat with my friend yesterday on past relationships and breakups, it occurred to me that the figurative meaning behind the act of carrying emotional baggage is much less transparent and interesting than its literal one.  

Of course, we can say, “She carries a lot of baggage with her always”—but where is the fun in that? Try replacing that ambiguous quantifier with a number more precise and you will get an exciting declaration like: “Damn, she carries around exactly seven baggage today and boy, are they heavy!”

I am no grammar anarchist or idiom rule breaker. I simply think it’s important to know, quantitatively, how many baggage a person is carrying before you make your bed with them and eat in it, too. This information will help you answer some burning questions like: Do I need to lift weight before our first date? Can I check the baggage before boarding or will they be carry-on?

But the road to a perfect relationship doesn’t end here. Once you know the quantity, it’s time to check on the quality. There are two things you might want to consider: the type of baggage they already carry and the kind of baggage you want to become. Below is an abridged guide to The Joy of Being Your Baggage to ease you with your decision-making.  

Suitcase with wheels: wheels are used for the occasional self-induced amnesia to forget about the actual weight of the baggage.

Suitcase without wheels: if wheels are broken, see first point then stay away. If not, this person either loves vintage luggage or I don’t have another explanation.

Carry-on: the weight is manageable but be sure, their baggage is always around for the long haul. 

Duffle bag: the proud owner indiscriminately throws everything into this bag and is constantly reminded of how much it weighs on their shoulders. 

Backpacking Bag: very strategic with what to put inside the bag. Compact, heavy, and ready for all soul-searching trips across Asia and Europe.  

Briefcase: though appears lightweight, a medium to large secret is lurking inside. Or this person might just love that vintage look, in which case, introduce them to Suitcase without wheels. 

Wallet: maybe don’t trust someone who carries around multiple wallets from past relationships. 

Fanny pack: an absolute keeper. This person bravely carries their heart, credit cards, phone, IDs, keys, and passport on their sleeves and their waist.

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What I am Thankful For

If any of these toothbrush stories sounds like you, it is probably you. But don’t freak out! We would never brush our teeth together anyway.

I have been doing some serious self-reflection on the things I am thankful for in 2014. Many obvious answers came to mind: my family, my friends, and my fictitious breakup poems. But is that it? I knew something was missing from the list so I dug really deep into my guts and found tremendous gratitude towards the one object that has kept me up at night: good old $3 toothbrush from any local pharmacy.  

Why so much respect for these nylon bristles, you might ask? Let us now praise famous toothbrushes for transgressing their role as an ordinary object and transforming themselves into a metaphor, every time they leave our personal sinks. In my years of countless fictitious breakups, nothing is as real as a toothbrush left behind. Especially ones I did not buy. 

Toothbrush as Metaphor #1: After a month or so into seeing each other, he suggested that I leave a toothbrush at his place. We walked to Duane Reade wherein he smiled peacefully and asked for my preference. I reached for the $10 electronic toothbrush while he looked on wide-eyed, horrified. He grabbed a $3 one instead and murmured, “This will do.” In my defense, electronic toothbrushes are the bomb. Lesson numero uno: Like drugs, toothbrush misunderstanding can kill.    

Toothbrush as Metaphor #2: I was somewhat seeing an out-of-state dude. We never once saw the presence of each other’s toothbrush. We ended our thing with the classic it’s not you, it’s me and it’s space dance. I blame the dead-end of our relationship on the phantom toothbrushes that took up too much room. 

Toothbrush as Metaphor #3: I woke up one day and saw a new toothbrush sitting squarely in my cabinet. I didn’t buy it. I knew who bought it. We never discussed this. I doubled over and vomited twice. 

Toothbrush as Metaphor #4: Before brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door and screamed, “I brought a toothbrush with me tonight. It doesn’t mean anything. I just want to brush my teeth!” “Okay,” he said. 

After these invaluable lessons, I decided to take the talking into my own hands by engraving individual toothbrushes with the following phrases:  It’s not you. It’s my hygiene.  I’m leaving in the morning with my owner.  This is not a metaphor.  I only stay behind for the convenience.  Don’t shoot me. I am not even the messenger. 

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Knit a Hat for the Homeless 

It's getting chilly outside. Join the Thursday Night Knitting crew this Thursday, November 20 from 7-9PM at the Textile Arts Center Brooklyn as we knit hats for the homeless! No experience necessary. Event is free, but please BYOY (Bring Your Own Yarn) and knitting needles! Worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles are preferred, but pattern can be adjusted accordingly. Needles + yarn will also be available for $10 at the door. Completed hats (as well as scarves, mittens and gloves, not necessarily handmade) to be mailed on Dec 15. RSVP at [email protected]. 

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/ of ties / 

of ties marks my first durational dance performance with Jonathan Gonzalez, whose life I have been in-and-out of for the past nine years. To describe our performance most accurately, Jonathan danced beautifully throughout the night as I unraveled three skeins of yarn around his legs to wrap them around his upper body by walking around in circles. He became my focal point and I his ever-changing radius. The strand of yarn in my hands stretched and collapsed as Jonathan shifted his body back and forth; my distance from him changed as he moved from left to right. 

This was our first iteration together, exploring the concepts of memory/loss, memory/gain, memory/unstable, repetition, and body containment. We will continue to analyze these ideas through process-based performances and different mediums. 

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Slow and Steady Wins the Race 

I'm so thankful and happy that Slow and Steady Wins the Race, my favorite conceptual fashion brand, featured me and my [ October 10 durational performance / i hope to find you at the end of this ] on their Journal today. 

For more information, please visit: http://journal.slowandsteadywinstherace.com/art/2014/11/art-chi-nguyen/

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You said you were fine on nights like this

You said you were fine on nights like this is a durational and process-based work that focuses on past memories and the more abstract "she" in all of my work. The project uses steel wool and film as mediums to explore these concepts. 

Excerpts from the Artist Statement above: 

You said you were fine on nights like this  is a love letter to her. As in: One I would write to the part of my self that I don’t often visit. She reminds me of winter nights by empty pillows and bed sheets. She reminds me of days toiled away in silences. So I sat in a corner and wrote to her with the first lines starting with: “Dear / I want to take us back to your end / my beginning.” 

You said you were fine on nights like this   is the cement fortress behind every abstract “she.” As in: I would open my eyes out of guilt that I am not next to her, as if being physically close was synonymous with being susceptible to unspeakable lost. Her arched back comes now and again as I try to close my eyes. I trace our memories down her spine and mark every compunction with a vertebra and a disk disjointed and severed.

You said you were fine on nights like this   is an attempt to answer the who of her and the what of us. As in:  She—I call a friend during years spent together apart in terms nonconcrete. She—I call a lover on days I felt braver than the rest. When I’m alone, she remains my constant her, and I her constant she, without needs for explanation or hesitation. 

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You said you were fine on nights like this

Video component of You said you were fine on nights like this / crocheting process in making the steel wool blanket. 

Work is on view at the Gowanus Showroom in New York until Thursday, November 13. 

Location: Gowanus Showroom  460 Union St, New York, NY 11231

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Artist Seeking: Collaborator / Soul Mate  

I came across Gary Shteyngart’s novel, Super Sad True Love Story, in the winter of 2012. The story takes place in a dystopic future wherein printed materials are grotesque artifacts and people are eye-deep in their personal technology. The story goes something like this: Lenny Abramov, an older salesman, fell in love with Eunice Park, a young college graduate, on a business trip in Rome. He tries everything in his power to make her fall in love with him while our future brave new world is falling apart. They connect and disconnect. The novel doesn’t have a happy ending.  

After reading the book, I became fascinated with the potential of connecting people by replicating and simulating mirror-touch synesthesia through technology and textiles. Mirror-touch synesthesia is a neurological condition in which “the mere observation of another person being touched causes the observers to experience a touch on their own body.” For example, if a person with this condition sees someone suffering from a gunshot wound, they would feel tremendous pain on the same part of their own body. 

This idea opens a Pandora’s box of questions for me: Can we trigger sympathy by mirroring the sensations felt by one person onto another? In light of many recent wars and public shootings, would we want to keep track of when and how much pain our loved ones are going through? If we can feel what a soldier on the battlefield experiences, would we? 

I am using this project for a residency and currently looking for a collaborator in the field of neuroscience/technology/etc. who would be interested in doing so with me. The project is ongoing but the residency would last for five months in 2015. Please contact me at [email protected] for more information on the proposal, the residency, or just to say “what the heck are you up to now?” 

Thank you,  Chi 

[artistseekingrelevance]

Turn Out for What

The 2014 midterm elections and why they are important. 

Watch here.

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AIR 5 Exhibition | Gowanus Showroom

Please join me for the opening reception for my AIR 5 Exhibition at the Gowanus Showroom on November 6th, from 6-9PM. The work included in this show represents the culmination of nine months of hard work by me and six other talented residents during Textile Arts Center's Artist in Residence. 

Sarah Abarbanel  |  Zaida A. Goveo Balmaseda  |  Yto Barrada  |  Kaelyn Garcia  |  Amanda Hu  |  Joey Korein  |  Chi Nguyen

For more information, please visit: http://on.fb.me/1rudmPg. 

I hope to see you there! 

[artistseekingrelevance]

Beating the Dead Horse:  Advice to a Healthy Relationship

Every time I scroll through facebook, it breaks my heart to see people reading articles like, “She broke up with him 59 times and you won’t believe what happens next” or “20 Simple Steps To Make A Man Your Boyfriend.” At first, I ignored these posts as typical click bates because let’s be honest, who does not want a manfriend in twenty easy steps? However, after five minutes of careful examination, I realized that my friends were silently screaming for help.

Since no one asked, I have taken it upon myself to share some healthy advice on how to get into a relationship and/or over a breakup.

Q: How do I know she or he loves me? A: An uncouth person would tell you to ask your partner directly and openly, but I highly discourage this kind of reckless behavior. Immediately upon meeting someone new, always assume that [insert a person’s name here] is already in love with you. I won’t be the first to say this, but confidence is sexy. 

Q: I need to hear the I love you directly from her or him. What do I do? A: No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop you from asking, so go ahead and ask. If your partner coos those three words into your ear, you should feel ashamed for not taking my advice in the first place. If there is a hint of hesitation, immediately distract her or him by pointing at the closest windows and shout, "Look! It's Spiderman!" Then proceed with your relationship exactly like how it was before. 

Q: My girl/boyfriend just broke up with me. Can I keep calling? A: I’m going to be honest with you, I never had to deal with this problem because my past lovers were always shy in giving me their contact information. However, I am willing to work this out with you logically. So far, you have two options: to call and not to call. If you choose “not to call,” then shoo, you don’t need me! You go on doing your love thing with that new person who presumably already loves you! If you choose “to call,” no judgment will come from my end. What is the worst thing that could happen? You keep calling. They keep ignoring your calls. You keep texting. They don’t text back. They get annoyed and report you to the police. You pay a fine then keep on calling. They demand a restraining order. You keep calling. You go to prison. You continue to call with your collect calls. Your sentence gets extended. The number gets disconnected. You can’t call anymore. At this point, you really have done everything you can to save the relationship. One thing you can be sure about: it may be over but you won't be forgotten.

*Note on the photo: Scene from an actual fight between Tim and I. I waste a canvas every time he mentions "leaving." Joke's on him because we are still together.