Hello! Thanks for visiting.

My name is Lêna. I live and work in Saigon, Vietnam.

My work moves back and forth between various cultures and values, sometimes comparing and contrasting to better understand the socio-political make-up of the society I live in and how that shapes the way we move forward as a whole. I’m deeply interested in nature, our position as a part of it and a separation from it, our reliance on it, our altercation of it, our respect for it as well as our disrespect.

The process of making work for me is a process of forming questions and articulating yearnings. How do intangible aspects of life, such as faith, death, and dreams influence our behaviours and perceptions? What is the impact of rapid development on the relationship between humans and nature? How has history shape the present and what of the present forecasts the future?

In recent years my work increasingly focuses on the environment and has taken on certain spiritual inclinations as I delve deeper into folk traditions. This is in part a response to the fragmented nature of modern life and the sensing of a certain void, which I think is a signal for unmet needs or certain disconnections. So I try to make works that express a worldview that is not entirely human-centric. At the same time I’m moved by human resilience and wish to find moments when this shines through.

My work has been shown in a number of solo and group exhibitions at the Jeju Biennale 2022, mM Artcenter Geonggi-do, Asia Culture Center Gwangju, South Korea; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Germany; Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE; Wesleyan University, USA; The Factory Contemporary Art Center, Vietnam; Carré d’Art-Musée d’Art Contemporain, France; and the Wellcome Collection, London.

I received a BA in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University, USA (2007), with one year in Doshisha University, Japan.

lenabui (@) gmail . com