Thursday Salute to Originals: Community Cloth
Series of scissor-cut designs features nuanced narratives around family and community.
Vietnamese-American artist Antonius Bui is exploring the evolving intersection of identity and family in a series of scissor-cut pieces titled The Detour Is to Be Where We Are.
Each piece features a subject from Bui’s biological and chosen family. Posed in affectionate postures, the portraits are imbued with themes of warmth and connection sourced directly from the artist’s own community ties.
The proportions of each work are very large, with some finished pieces measuring over 10 feet tall. Massive. hand-cut geometric patterns and botanical shapes envelop the subjects in a mesh of symbolism. These symbols of daily living explore contemporary, nuanced understandings of Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences.
“[There are] allusions to the spiritual significance of Joss paper, an incense paper used both to imitate value and as a form of blessings, position(ing) each work almost as an offering to honor queer communities,” said Bui in a statement about the art.
This Thursday, we’re saluting the massive, scissor-cut paper art of Antonius Bui and the culture and communities within the contemporary Asian American and Pacific Islander experience. You can view more of the artist’s work on their Instagram and Website.
The works shown here will be featured at Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago through August 14th.
Sources: Antonius Bui, This is Colossal