Thom Nguyen studio

about the host

Thom Nguyen (b. 1987, HCMC) is a multidisciplinary Vietnamese-American artist working across painting, sculpture, fashion, and installation. His practice investigates queerness, memory, and identity through material transformation and embodied metaphor. Drawing on diasporic histories and queer cultural forms, Nguyen's work often explores what it means to be simultaneously seen and obscured, legible and illegible.

Nguyen was a former resident at a.Farm in Ho Chi Minh City in 2025, where he developed Nước | Water Resistance, a portrait-based project examining queer identity and migration through the dual meaning of nước (water/nation). Nguyen has exhibited in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and internationally. His work is informed by speculative ritual, the politics of care, and the tension between visibility and refusal.

At the beginning of 2026, Thom and his husband Michael opened Thom Nguyen studio — an art space and studio operating as a residency space, gallery, and private collection focused on queer artists.

about the space

We welcome you to our humble art space located in the historically artsy Làng Báo Chí (press village) in Thảo Điền. Our house has a gallery and kitchen on the first floor, 2 bedrooms and an art studio with a balcony on the second, and a spacious covered rooftop lounge area on the third floor.

The first floor also features an antique Chinese noodle cart used as a bar and retail space. The exterior courtyard has lovely plants and comfortable seating for outdoor hangs, as well as a small curtained room used for performances and video installations.

Artists will be able to use the rooftop area as their studio space, as well as the second floor studio when available. The residency bedroom has large closet space, a desk, and a bed, with windows overlooking the front patio. Much of the furniture is locally sourced and handcrafted from beautiful hardwood, refurbished by local artisans. The neighbourhood is quiet and the street is lined with lush tropical plants and fruit trees.

collaboration

My practice involves paintings on canvas and conceptual sculptures made by fabricators throughout the city. I would invite any resident artist to use our network of artisans to expand their practice. I am interested in portraiture and would love to work with residents to create a portrait, however that may be interpreted. Our private collection features work from mostly queer artists, and we would want to cultivate practices that explore queer identity.

practical

house rules

Quiet hours 10pm–6am. Motorbike parking available in the courtyard.

environment

Urban, domestic

availability

Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm. Office hours Tuesday–Thursday, 1–6pm.

accommodation

Private bedroom with large closet, desk, and bed. Windows overlook the front patio. Not ensuite — private bathroom is separate.

languages

English, Vietnamese

transport

5-minute motorbike ride to metro station. 5-minute walk to bus station.

nearby

Pharmacy at the entrance of the street. Clothing shop and cafe Objoff & Hong Cafe at the end of the street. 10-minute walk from central Thảo Điền with many shops and restaurants.

smoking

yes

guests

yes — Guests are welcome. Thom and Michael frequently host friends, artists, and collectors.