Artist Joseph Bui
Congratulations to Joseph Bui for earning his place as a finalist in the 6th Edition!
Who are you?
My name is Joseph Bui. I am a portrait photographer and artist based in Houston, Texas identifying as Vietnamese-American and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I recently graduated in May 2022 from Colby College in Maine with a B.A in Studio Art: Photography.
My passion for the arts began very early in my childhood when I would doodle in my notebooks drawing characters from cartoon television shows. Fast forward to my high school years, I spent a summer self-learning about Photoshop and creating graphics as a hobby. I would later take on art classes in compositing imagery in Photoshop and transition into learning about photography. For my 17th birthday, my parents bought me a beginner’s DSLR camera and that’s when my passion for photography bloomed. Towards the end of high school, I started to make photography a business and offered my services towards portraits for prom and graduation.
At Colby College, I’ve begun to think critically about my work as an artist. I’ve discovered that my photographic work is informed by my interest in the relationships between people and themes, such as the meaning of “home.” With that, I use photography as a form of storytelling.
“Mom in Bedroom” (Winning work)
Photography
By Joseph Bui
What inspired you to begin utilizing photography as a medium over others?
I have always been tech-savvy and had an interest in learning how to use electronic devices, such as phones and computers. Paired with my interest in the arts, I quickly learned all the tools of Photoshop and that kick-started my interest in photography. When you combine art with all the possibilities of digital technology, I believe there are endless ways to create art.
“Dad’s Haircut”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind "Mom’s Bedroom"?
This photograph was taken after my mother’s long day working as a hairstylist. She is seen lying on her bed reading a Vietnamese newspaper. In the top corner of the photograph, you can see my mother and father’s wedding photo. For my series of photographs, I knew I wanted to take an intimate photo of my mother in her bedroom. With the other photographs of my mother in this series, I hope viewers will perceive her how I see her as a son; a loving, caring, and hardworking mother.
"Mom's Bedroom" seems to be part of a series of works, can you discuss them?
“Mom’s Bedroom” is from my photographic series, “I Love You. I Miss You. Have A Good Day.” Before my mother left for work in the morning, I would quickly say to her a short phrase that has now become a prayer to me, “I love you. I miss you. Have a good day.” With this thought, my series of photographs presents a rich and gentle narrative of family kinship, the inevitability of ageing, and the will to move forward. Through the medium of the camera, I am examining my parent’s life and how they navigate every day, which includes the themes of work, successes, family relationships, and handling the death of loved ones.
“Mom’s Nightstand”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
What is the message you want to send your audience with your work?
This work is about the love and life of my parents and my place in their life. I hope for my audience to feel the love I have for my parents. The phrase that runs through my head is “You never know what you've got 'til it's gone” which in this case would be my parents passing away. Through these photographs, I hope to preserve my memories of my parents and for them to live on forever. Larry Sultan, a photographer that inspired my work, beautifully states, “I realize that beyond the rolls of film and the few good pictures, the demands of my project and my confusion about its meaning, is the wish to take photography literally. To stop time. I want my parents to live forever.”
“Grandmother with Knife”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
What do you feel is your most successful piece to date? Why?
As an emerging artist, I believe my series, “I Love You. I Miss You. Have A Good Day.”, is my most successful body of work. Beyond the recognition it has received, this body of work expresses my emotions and feelings that I never knew I could portray through photographs. This work has become so meaningful to me through the memories and meanings it has captured that I feel fulfilled as an artist.
“Family at the Graveyard”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of creating your photographs?
One of my biggest learning experiences during the process of photographing is finding what excites me as an artist and developing it. I knew I loved to photograph portraits of people, but something was missing in my photographs. I spent hours on end thinking about who I am as an artist trying to discover just what I loved about portraiture and finding meaning in it. As of right now, I’ve developed an interest in storytelling on topics of community and the theme of “home." But who knows? This might change in the future.
“Dad’s Workstation”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?
My biggest success so far has been putting together my own handmade artist photo book of my work, “I Love You. I Miss You. Have A Good Day.” While photographing this work, I knew I wanted to present it beyond a museum space where people readily see my work, so my solution was to make my own artist book. Through the guidance of many colleagues and mentors, I spent months learning about bookbinding sewing techniques, types of paper, sequencing, and making prototypes of the book. Considering it was quite a challenging project for a timeline of one year and the finished product being quite spectacular, I would consider this a big success.
“Dad at Work”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?
Currently, I’m brainstorming some new photo work, while also trying to expand on my personal family project. I hope to photograph my extended family (aunts, uncles, and grandparents). There are personal stories I hope to explore, such as my aunt’s Vietnamese restaurant and the role it plays in preserving culture and family bonds. On the other hand, I hope to travel to Vietnam and photograph a story about where my parents grew up.
What is your dream project or piece you hope to accomplish?
A difficult question I must say, but if I had to describe what this dream project would accomplish it would be bringing light to an issue that is very important to me. As simple as it may sound, I hope this dream project would cause an uproar of emotion and shake the hearts of the people of the world. Now, what is this project? I will just have to find out for myself.
“Dad at Grandfather’s Wake”
Photography
By Joseph Bui
Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists/photographers, what is your advice?
For my fellow artists and photographers, pursuing art is challenging. It is discouraging when your parents don’t support your artistic career and look at you with disappointment. It is discouraging when people associate you as an artist with the words “starving artists.” It is especially discouraging when you start having doubts about your capabilities as an artist.
However, at the same time, pursuing art can be worthwhile. First and foremost, make art for yourself. Use art as a medium to express your inner self and what matters to you. Art has the power to create social action, influence, entertain, and educate the world. Life is what you make of it.
To view more of Joseph Bui’s work