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Koa Pham "bui-doi"

Ends Tomorrow

Artists

Koa Pham

This exhibition engages with a body of works that refers to the children once called bụi đời—a term used in postwar Vietnam for the mixed-race offspring of American soldiers and Vietnamese women, in which bụi means “dust” and đời means “life.” Alongside these works, Koa turns toward the sense of loss and helplessness felt by those rendered invisible within the luminous surface of contemporary social life. The dust of softly colored pencils briefly evokes images of lotus or roses, only to dissolve into the surface with a haze-like vagueness. Before scenes that appear celebratory and vibrant, a chicken, stripped of its feathers yet still dimly gleaming in gold, seems to speak out a mixture of satire and astonishment. When a shadow of black irony falls across the impression of happiness, what realities emerge? We invite you to the quiet illumination of vanitas—an allegory of vanity— discernible in the faint presence of those who have been made invisible.

Schedule

Now in session

Dec 4 (Thu) 2025-Dec 7 (Sun) 2025 Ends Tomorrow