“There are many ways to hold water, without being called a vase,” New Haven-based artist Antonius Bui labeled their recent exhibition at Monique Meloche Gallery. After speaking to the artist ahead of the exhibition's final weeks, it became immediately apparent that they approach everything with the same poetic grace that labels their works. Exploring the politics of their existence through an intimate lens, their artwork sheds light on the AAPI experience, the queer experience, and generally, the experience of living within a world that creates its own narrow constructs of beauty — and learning to defy them with poise.
Interpreting beauty and poignancy in their own way, Bui creates portraits of a range of subjects — from close friends to admired figures, such as iconic pornstars. Infusing every one of their artistic pieces with the same fluidity that courses through their veins, Bui’s work is ever-transforming. “My work is as non-binary as myself,” they candidly share.