Luminous Vessels
April 15th to May 8th, 2022
Luminous Vessels: Jasmin Amoako, Phuong Nguyen
TAP Art Space is proud to present Luminous Vessels, a two-artists exhibition including Jasmin Amoako and Phuong Nguyen. We would like to thank the team at Cache Studio for their invitation to host this exhibition at their physical location.
Luminous Vessels features work by two emerging artists who utilize the language of cultural iconography and explore their understanding of what it may mean to be a vessel and embody something beyond physical forms of glass and flesh. Through paintings, prints and sculptures, the artists examine the significance of seeing themselves reflected back: when one is able to see oneself there is an opportunity to examine, understand, begin to accept what is present and heal. Vessels are objects used to hold, ships used to sail, or a person who embodies the immaterial- they are expressions of bearing and keeping safe.
Jasmin Amoako creates figurative work that developed as self and imagined portraits of Blackness. Focusing on Black womanhood in her artwork reinforces her personal narrative and honors her Ghanaian-Canadian cultural identity. Through the use of various shapes, textures, and saturated colors, she paints mixed media portraits and abstract artwork. Jasmin’s collection of prints and paintings in this exhibition are inspired by personal memories and dreams. Ultimately, combining sensuality, collaboration, and nature with her lived experiences is vital in the creation of her artwork.
Phuong Nguyen is an artist and art therapist born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Phuong is a second generation refugee currently interested in making work about trauma and its disruption of knowledge passing, self-discovery through self-tokenization and healing. As a part of the diaspora, she is interested in the western gaze on Southeast Asia through the language of chinoiserie and its history of colonization of asian aesthetics.
Together, these artists examine and reflect on the self in context of western colonial systems that have historically excluded and othered them from the dominant cultural narrative.
In “Glamour Magic”, Deborah Castellano explains: “The more Other you have in you, the less palatable you are to those in power as you create more disruption to the ruling order. Then, if you are deemed good enough by those who hold power over you by being a shining example despite your Otherness, you may be given some crumbs from their table and be allowed some nominal power.”
In this exhibition, Amoako and Nguyen reflect on how to heal from the violence and trauma that these systems weaponize? What does it mean to unlearn from these systems? -and unlearn how we understand ourselves within them-. When we are able to see ourselves, how do we respond? As vessels, how do we hold space for ourselves to heal, grow, keep safe, and sail across the water?
To heal is to flow.
