Trained as a painter, Thao Nguyen is a multimedia artist whose practice encompasses video, painting and installation. Drawing from literature, philosophy and daily life, she observes ambiguous issues in social conventions and history. She started working in film when she began her MFA in Chicago.

Thao Nguyen Phan exhibits internationally, with solo and group exhibitions including The 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice, 2022); Kunstverein (Hamburg, 2021); New Orleans Museum of Art (New Orleans, 2020); Chisenhale gallery (London, 2020); WIELS (Brussels, 2020); Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai, 2019); Lyon Biennale (Lyon, 2019); Sharjah Biennial (Sharjah Art Foundation, 2019); Gemäldegalerie (Berlin, 2018); Dhaka Art Summit (2018); Para Site (Hong Kong, 2018); Factory Contemporary Art Centre (Ho Chi Minh City, 2017) ; Nha San Collective (Hanoi, 2017) ; and Bétonsalon (Paris, 2016), among others. She was shortlisted for the 2019 Hugo Boss Asia Art Award. In addition to her work as a multimedia artist, she is co-founder of the collective Art Labor, which explores cross disciplinary practices and develops art projects that benefit the local community. Thao Nguyen is expanding her “theatrical fields”, including what she calls performance gesture and moving images. She is a 2016-2017 Rolex Protégée, mentored by internationally acclaimed, New York-based, performance and video artist, Joan Jonas.

She lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.