Biography 

Vian Nguyen was born in Auburn, Washington. She graduated from Western Washington University where she attained a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts, with a focus on painting and drawing. She has earned a Masters in Fine Arts and certified in College Teaching of Art, from Maryland Institute College of Arts where she also started her teaching career. She currently teaches at WWU and lives in Bellingham, WA where she works on her practice and is with her husband and young son.     

 As a second generation Asian American, Nguyen has been raised with certain ideas for the ideal body image; skin color, size and gender roles. None of these ideals perfectly fit her, nor should they. Her curiosity about culturally produced ideals raises questions, where she re-examines understandings from childhood through the lens of an adult. This leads to observing an evolutionary change through 3 generations, and exploring how they differ from mother, daughter to son. With the passing of her mother in 2021 her work had taken in the conversation of the grieving process between her mothers traditions to her owns day-to-day mourning. Overall, Nguyen’s work tells the American experience, but through the perspective of an Asian American who explores her racial identity in the Western Culture.