Poem 3 was an exhibition-specific work created for Architectures of Intimacy at NARS Foundation, curated by Anh Đào Hà. It is an expanded version of Poem 2 (sonnet), a piece from 2024.
From the press release:
“Z.T. Nguyễn’s Poem 3 assembles forty 8.5x11" sheets, each a fragment of the artist’s life: a food wrapper, a towel, a prescription, a note, a printout. Whether built up from scraps or cut down from larger forms, each sheet holds a palpable disjunction between material and dimension. The standardized size evokes the harsh confines of official documents such as citizenship applications, asylum forms, medical bills, and death certificates, and the quiet violence they impose. In compressing lived experience into these frames, Nguyễn reflects on how personal history endures, even when shaped by systems designed to contain it.”
From the press release:
“Z.T. Nguyễn’s Poem 3 assembles forty 8.5x11" sheets, each a fragment of the artist’s life: a food wrapper, a towel, a prescription, a note, a printout. Whether built up from scraps or cut down from larger forms, each sheet holds a palpable disjunction between material and dimension. The standardized size evokes the harsh confines of official documents such as citizenship applications, asylum forms, medical bills, and death certificates, and the quiet violence they impose. In compressing lived experience into these frames, Nguyễn reflects on how personal history endures, even when shaped by systems designed to contain it.”
Poem 3Dimensions variable (approx. 14 x 356 in)
2025
Forty 8.5x11" sheets made of various materials from the artist's home, studio, and life
Installation view of Poem 3
Poem 3 (detail)
Poem 3 (detail)
Poem 3 (detail)
Poem 3 (detail)