Nguyen’s path to becoming an artist included a brief career in fashion design in his native Vietnam, a two-year stint at a local beauty salon, and ultimately, training in painting at UNC Charlotte. Now, he crafts some of the city’s most exciting work, researching ancient Asian techniques with textiles and using oils, acrylics, plexiglass, and silk to blend the old with the new on canvas. Nguyen’s bold, kinetic paintings have garnered shows in Charlotte’s Sozo Gallery and across the world, including South Korea and Washington, D.C.