Maria Nguyen
From Naarm (Melbourne) Australia, Maria is a London-based designer & artist whose practice is rooted in research, experimentation and taro bao buns. She enjoys challenging traditional conventions and talking in the third person.



Experience 
Link to CV
Bureau for Visual Affairs (current)
Freelance (2023 — 2024)
Raft Studio (2021 — 2022)
Today (2020)
Work

  1. Luka Balm (Work in Progress ID)
  2. Greenstreat(Visual ID)
  3. Gary Thomas(Visual ID)
  4. Pearl (3D + Visual ID)
  5. Emerson Rooftop & Bar(Visual ID)
  6. Hanoi Community Radio(Motion)
  7. Darwin Festival 2023(OOH Campaign)
  8. FYA(Editorial)
  9. Một Mái Nhà (Photobook)
  10. Amazigh(Photobook)
  11. Christian Wagstaff(Lettering)
  12. St Kilda Film Festival(Visual ID)
  13. Melbourne Fringe Festival 2021(OOH Campaign)
  14. Transcendence(Conceptual)
  15. Across the Seas(Research)
  16. Netwealth (UI Design)
  17. Nethersphere(Poster)
  18. Dreamscapes(Painting)

1. Mot Mái Nhà


This year I unearthed about 200 old photos of my family that were secretly tucked away. Một Mái Nhà translated as “One Roof” in Vietnamese, traces precious memories of my family's journey from war-torn Vietnam to dreamy Australia.

It is a timeless narrative of courage, sacrifice and the pursuit of a better tomorrow. This project is very special to me as growing up there were always gaps of information in my families past life, due to trauma and other related issues that made sharing painful. Through sitting down with my parents and grandparents, new stories were bought to the surface and ultimately it strengthened my relationships and identity.





2. Wordfind


A playful exercise in mapping and redrawing.

2 journeys of commute were doodled onto a map and asked to be recreated in any shape or form. Wordfind explores the intersection of art and language, inviting individuals to reconsider conventional notions of communication.

Through this recontextualization, the resulting piece not only challenges traditional forms of writing but also encourages viewers to explore new modes of expression and interpretation.


3. Transcendence


Transcendence is a project driven by the desire to shift perceptions of what traditional art or design can be by taking mundane kitchen utensils and giving them "poetry and possibility". 

Turning the undesirable desirable through an immersive Augmented reality installation, exhibiting 8 digital sculptures. Shaping objects from 3D into 2D into 3D


4. Across the Seas


Across the seas explores the intersection between personal and national migrant identities. How are migrants shaped by the countries that they move to and are their identities accurately reflected in the nation’s narrative?

Research conducted on passport stamps analysed signs and/or patterns of nationalism. A series of screen-printed posters and symbols draw upon direct quotes of migrants juxtaposed with the Australian National anthem.


5. Grief


A series reflecting a journey from a turbulent period of grief to enlightenment. These pieces are highly personal and extract lots of feeling as marked in the work. They describe a non-linear path of healing.

“Untitled” (60x70cm), Mixed media on wood
“ITTTT” (60x70cm), Mixed media on wood
 “Untitled 2” (60x70cm), Mixed media on wood


6. Dreamscapes


Created out of a need to break free from being an office monkey, these dreamscapes cast a surreal abstract realm where gestures marked by my hands float away with ethereal thoughts and imagery in my brain. They're emotive, expressive and fantastical.

Manic Pixie (60x40cm), Mixed media on wood

 Tadelakt (80x60cm), Mixed media on wood
Midnight Blues (40x30cm), Mixed media on wood


7. Amazigh


Born out of a chance meeting at a sustainably focused workaway in Ourika (regional Morocco), this project is a collaboration with emerging Amsterdam-based photographer Luka Balm.

Balm tenderly captures the raw beauty of daily life and landscapes in a volunteer trip to Morocco. Sitting somewhere between a love letter and diary, these images cast a dreamy and perhaps romanticised view of the country.
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