Tat-Dat Nguyen was born in Vietnam, grew up in the USA and currently lives in Vienna. Important themes in his works are migration, identity, memory, mythology and religious narratives.

Voices of the Distant Forest
2023, ink on handmade paper, mounted on canvas
8 pieces x 24cm x 30cm x 3.5cm

For his piece Voices of the Distant Forest, Tat-Dat Nguyen spent time in forests and documented his impressions using symbols, forms and shapes. He explores life, death and diversity as well as the horror, beauty and spirit of the forest, and our relationship to it.

For this work, he used a black ink that was produced without petroleum. This medium has a negative carbon footprint and was produced by sequestering air pollution, converting waste into usable pigments and ink. Most black inks and pigments are made with a highly polluting pigment called carbon black, which is obtained from the incomplete combustion of heavy crude oil. For every tonne of produced carbon black, more than three tonnes of CO₂ are emitted. Black pigments without petroleum have only been around for a few years. The artist is experimenting not only with his experiences in the forest, but also with the materials he employs, considering their effects and what expressions can be created with them.

Tat-Dat Nguyen uses abstract forms to reflect his interpretation and leave room for imagination.