Kôgábịnô

Kôgábịnô is Mai Nguyễn-Long’s latest museum exhibition, which opens at Wollongong Art Gallery (WAG) from Saturday, 21 October. Curated by Adam Porter, this exceptional presentation assembles over 150 artworks, objects, and personal possessions that collectively amplify the catharsis of Nguyễn-Long’s compelling stories. This exhibition is the first to comprehensively address the contents of the artist’s recently acquired PhD, and exists to interrogate the messy edges of history, cultural identity and post-war diasporic trauma. In recent years, recognition of Mai Nguyễn-Long’s visual articulation has seen the artist represent Australia on the world stage, and we wish to congratulate Mai on yet another career-defining exhibition.

In collaboration with Adam Porter, Mai Nguyễn-Long has produced her most arresting exhibition to date. Displayed across seven vitrine cabinets in the Mann-Tatlow wing of WAG, Nguyễn-Long’s Vomit Girl armies appear playful, yet resilient. The exhibition is punctuated by the display of found and family artefacts, which beautifully illuminate the generational stories that directly inform the artist’s work.

Through her Vomit Girl installations, Mai Nguyễn-Long collides cultural artefacts and personal histories, borrowing from a Vietnamese village aesthetic known as mộc mạc. Mai Nguyễn-Long’s armies of Vomit Girl sculptures have make-believe conversations and are artistic devices that attempt to mend what feels irreparably broken.

Mai Nguyễn-Long joined Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin in 2023, debuting her Vomit Girl Stories exhibition to high praise. The potency of Nguyễn-Long’s visual language is both compelling and clever, positioning the artist as an important pillar of the Michael Reid stable of artists.

Kôgábịnô at Wollongong Art Gallery will exhibit from Saturday, 21 October 2023 to Sunday, 7 April 2024. Wollongong Art Gallery is located at 46 Burelli Street, Wollongong NSW 2500.