Interview: Dq Nguyen
Luca Curci talks with Dq Nguyen during MIXING IDENTITIES, the third appointment of CANVAS International Art Fair, at THE LINE Contemporary Art Space.

To learn the art fundamentals of proportion, figurative, compositions and others, I mainly learned through comic books at a young age. I attended the Virginia Commonwealth University for painting and printmaking, where I degreed with a BFA. After decades of oil painting, I currently paint abstractly with everything in between. I paint with no category, but just to pull different forms of art, experiences, knowledge, and emotions into creativity. Aesthetically I am a very calculated thinker. However, at times you have to rely on risk, chance, and pure instinct. My focus is on every mark, shape, color, and other elements as my work progress. I try to keep my subject matters relevant, my paintings universal, and my ideas into contemporary culture.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Dq Nguyen – That’s a tough one. The best I can relate it to is that you hear instrumental-only music, the sounds and the composed song or track, like EDM, will give you a feel, emotion, atmosphere but when lyrics are added they paint the picture tied to that, and you get a more vivid understanding and a subject that guilds it.

LC – What are you currently working on?
DN – I am doing series of landscapes, figures, portraits, and merging abstracts. Later this year, I will combine my painting and printmaking knowledge to create new ground concepts.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
DN – Innovation and keeping to push and merge rebirth ideas into a new movement.

LC – Which art themes do you pursue? What is your preferred subject, if there is any?
DN – The themes I have, when premeditated, are to try to keep up with today’s culture. I guess subjects can revolve around what I feel is significant to me, my life experiences and my views.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it like your medium of expression?
DN – I paint mainly in oil. There is a feel to it you can achieve with others.

LC – Do you agree with our vision of art and what do you think about the theme of the festival?
DN – Well, I think any exhibition event has its ups and downsides. But I do believe ITSLIQUID vision is to showcase artist that may not have a platform in revolving locations across the world – is extraordinary what they do.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
DN – The overall idea of “Atlanta rise” is about overcoming systemic, cultural, social issues to the unit. I composed this painting based on the reformation after the civil war. The image’s terms – Atl Rise, resurgence, rise up, Phoenix rising – have an important connection with Atlanta. I tried focusing on these themes and on how these relate to the events currently happening in 2020 and interlinked them with ideas of after the civil war. The woman in the far right, with the bird floating away, I interpreted her from an artist which created that statue during the reforming phase in late 1800, I believe. But the execution of this reformation period halted and change never excelled. What do I know? I’m just a dumb painter.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists? What do you think about the organization of our event?
DN – I don’t know much about ITSLIQUID. I decided to take part to see how things would go. Usually, I don’t like sending paintings internationally unless they are sold. But I think this event can be beneficial to emerging artists as I do believe in the end it’s all about the art and connections to the public.