CHẾ

im humbled by the talent, generosity, and intellect that i am fortunate to be surrounded with at CalArts and LA. this show wouldnt have been possible without the incredible support and help from my friends, cohort, professors, mentors. from the logistics of poster design, install / deinstall, documentation, to the emotional labors of love, patience, and friendship, i’m filled w immense gratitude. thank you to my community of people. for connecting, hanging, being special thanks to @kimberlynguyen.xyz @theboneykingofnowhere @adriananguiano_ @alex3scobedo @erwinsonlemus @fran.hgh @mia7773333 and to my amazing friends for capturing the work, @lexiwimberly and @julianclayshelton website is updated w details :)

Where Angels Fear to Tread, 2026 Materials Bamboo shades, gauze fabric, gold leaf, wooden stools, found fabric, scissor, ceramic, acrylic and sumi ink on rice paper Dimensions Vary Drawing upon the complex narratives of my Vietnamese-American upbringing, Where Angels Fear to Tread is an invitation into a liminal space informed by memory, grief, and hope. Practices of homemaking through domestic labor produces an alternative archive of critical remembering in the face of erasure and threat. These intimate, often unseen spaces become sites where identity, care, and community are formed. I sewed these spiritual forms throughout the work to pay homage to these memories, as well as to reflect a commitment to my ancestors. Bamboo shades, emblems of resilience and utility throughout Vietnamese households, are reconfigured into bifacial vessels, carrying the persistence of unfulfilled and displaced pasts into ghostly presence. A constellation of ink landscape drawings cascade across the walls, bearing witness to the nonlinear and fragmented narratives of war. The installation mobilizes cultural elements to trace diasporic homemaking as a practice of survival, guided by belief, remembrance, and ritual. Photos 1, 2, 4, 8, 9 by @lexiwimberly 3, 5, 6, 7 by @julianclayshelton 10 by @s.x.hs

snips, clips, bits of process… scavenging materials, old notes, songs, working hours alone in the studio, incubating ideas into trial, testing, failing, trying again, creating trust w cohort and friends, grounding by doing photo #1 by @andrewgura

digital footprint 1 after setting up How to Rewind Time 2 good words by a good friend 3 Kismet, 2024 a multimedia installation (still) 4 my babysitter’s home video (still) 5 Kismet (still) 6 it’s about play and timing 7 words by elizabeth in the new wave book that encapsulates everything 8 why i stand by youtube’s algorithm ————————— 1, 3, 5 photos by @jiayi.hou_ and @4xfeuille

How to Rewind Time, 2024 a mixed media installation This piece serves as a sculptural ode, a material return, a lyrical homage to the familiar past which feels lifetimes ago. With the recent release of @newwavedocumentary , I’m reminded of the transcendental nature of music, how it connects us together beyond barriers of time and space. Music, defined as sound organized in time, is an audial script or recording of moments. It is an intentional experience of time passing, as provoked in 4’33” by John Cage. “How to Rewind Time” plays with the memories, or lack of memories, that sound fills through this ephemeral placement. The FUTURE 1 CD, featured in the center, is from my mom’s ESL course. Other photos of inspiration includes quick sketch of thoughts, my piano sheet from 2008, and a throwback with my favorite guitarist growing up (and occasional babysitter), Bac Trung Nghia. Still available to see by appointment! Grateful to share, and warm thank you to @kehting.la for the opportunity. ———————————— Curated by and photo credits to @jiayi.hou_ @4xfeuille

CHẾ @chedh , 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚, 2024, mixed media installation At 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 at KehTing apartment space. memory is not only the CD you listened to, but also the scratches on the CDs, the colorful reflection, and the slight pull of the wired headphones. CHÊ’s pieces are a continuum of a meditation on personal affairs, utilizing objects to express music in relation to memory association, while also recalling her father’s career as a prominent music producer in their diaspora. Her placements offer a vague sense of grasping the intangible experience of life through the audial process. ______________ Chế is a German born, Vietnamese-American interdisciplinary visual artist and cultural worker based in Los Angeles.​ She fluidly blends various mediums to embrace the complexity of immigrant experience through calligraphy, sculpture, installation, and multimedia. Influenced by her family’s refugee background, her experimental body of work is a reservoir of dedicated research exploring themes of constructed identity, material sustainability, and collective healing. image credits: @4xfeuille @efr4n #kehting #installationart #memory #installation #cd #music #apartmentgallery #artexperiement

concept —> research —> the thing here are the original sketches and ideas i had with my recent installation piece… i’m not actively thinking about homeland and diasporas when making work; rather, creation is an attempt to console and archive as my body inherently carries my family’s memories, aspirations, energy, dreams… creation with intention is a reverence of being, of curiosity, of resilience, of history, of self, of community, of the land. thank you @xonorika @supercollider.la and @angelsgateartgallery for trust and the opportunity!! thank you @nomadweldingco and @ron.nie55 for helping me bring my idea to life on short notice 🙏🏼 and thank you to everyone who came out, supported, and shared their thoughts check out the show with other amazing artists up until Dec 6 2024 xx —— Photos by Jordan Rodriguez @cookiecrumblejordan

CHẾ, 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚, 2024. Mesh fabric, Ink, wood, glass, titanium, round rocks and minerals from Los Angeles, dimensions variable. The concept of this piece was born from a conversation with a friend in regards to assimilation versus acculturation: Does survival lead to dilution or filtration of culture? As first generation immigrants, there are abstract memories of what “home” is that are constantly influxing with our present environment. In front of the installation lies a circular, bronze table displaying a natural water filtration system made of found rocks and materials held inside a glass vessel. The rocks and minerals are sourced from the artist's home in Los Angeles and symbolize the physical manifestation of her own internal negotiation between her western and southeastern identity. The installation explores a subconscious assimilation by showcasing loose paintings of Vietnamese and American landscapes on mesh fabric that cascade downward, where the idea of cultural negotiation is filtered through intervals of time. Photo by Jordan Rodriguez @cookiecrumblejordan . 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗗 opens with a public reception this Saturday, September 14th from 2-4pm at @angelsgateart . 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗗 is a group exhibition in partnership with SUPERCOLLIDER, guest juried by artist Kira Xonorika. This exhibition explores art in which experimentation, technology, or other scientific fields are central to the work and artist’s practice. Learn more at our link. @supercollider.la @xonorika @chedh

Hi hi, I’m so excited !! Join me for the opening reception of METHOD, a contemporary art exhibition about technology, ecology, and embodiment. Angels Gate Cultural Center Saturday, September 14th 2pm-4pm. I’m presenting a site-specific installation that explores the idea of subconscious assimilation by showcasing loose paintings of landscapes, inspired by my travels around the US and Vietnam, on mesh panels that cascade downward, where cultural negotiation is filtered through intervals of light to indicate time. Hope to see you there! — METHOD includes works by Lauren Bedal, Jenna Caravello, CHẾ, Chris Combs, Ismael de Anda III & Eugene Ahn, Tielin Ding, Richelle Ellis, Ksti Hu, Kim Kei, Elizabeth Leister, Lineadeluz, Edua Mercedes, Reuben Merringer Ashton Phillips, Koi Ren & Joey Verbeke, Dylan Ricards, Miller Robinson, Kayla Tange, Ambrose Trataris & Lucy Black, Ayzay Ukwuoma, Erika Weitz, and Devin Wilson. METHOD is guest juried and curated by Kira Xonorika, SciArt Ambassador with SUPERCOLLIDER. _ @angelsgateartgallery @angelsgateart #methodAGCC

p o n d e r is up one more week! dm me :) will have a closing reception on 20th as well. thank you everyone for coming, supporting, offering an intention. lots of love x

p o n d e r is up for month! dm me :) some (before) shots thank you everyone for coming, supporting, offering an intention. lots of love x