Today! Converse with a conservator on Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s video artwork. The Island closes Sunday, June 8.
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Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s Imagined Future

Tuan Andrew Nguyen: The Island
On view through Sunday, June 8

Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th and G Streets NW

Tuan Andrew Nguyen creates multimedia installations that blend fact, memory, myth and mysticism and use lush imagery to draw out these entanglements. Don’t miss your chance to view his video artwork The Island (2017) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Island is set on Pulau Bidong, a tiny Malaysian island which became a primary destination for Vietnamese, including the artist’s family, escaping by boat after the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975. In this imagined future, the site once again becomes a place of last refuge. The Island is being shown for the first time with Bidong Spirit I, a sculpted headdress Nguyen created for the film.

Plan Your Visit

Conservator Dan Finn presents to a group with a link to the event page.

Converse with a Conservator: Time-Based Media Art
Tuesday, June 3, 5:30 p.m.


Smithsonian American Art Museum
Meet in G Street Lobby
Free | Registration encouraged

Join time-based media conservator Dan Finn for a gallery talk discussing SAAM’s installation of Tuan Andrew Nguyen: The Island. Learn more about this single-channel video artwork and how SAAM cares for time-based media collections.
Join Us Today

Saisha Grayson, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Thao Nguyen with a link to YouTube.

Artists in Conversation: Tuan Andrew Nguyen and Thao Nguyen on The Island

On Wednesday, April 23, Saisha Grayson, curator of time-based media at SAAM, was joined by Tuan Andrew Nguyen, creator of the time-based media work The Island, and musical and visual artist Thao Nguyen. Watch the recorded conversation as they discuss their experiences as Vietnamese Americans and how their work engages with the legacies of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. 

This program was presented as part of a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the US exit from South Vietnam. 

Watch Now

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is able to create and share experiences like these thanks to funding from generous supporters like you. Thank you for ensuring that American art is available to all. Donate to support SAAM.

Exhibition credit: Tuan Andrew Nguyen: The Island received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

Image credit: Still from Tuan Andrew Nguyen's The Island, 2017, single-channel video, color, 5.1 surround sound; 42:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Asian Pacific American Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, 2022.51, © 2022, Tuan Andrew Nguyen

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