Beaded Bodega: Vi Nguyen’s nostalgia SHOW in Gotham, NY
Gotham, New York City’s premier licensed cannabis dispensary and concept store, is showcasing handcrafted works by artist Vi Nguyen in an exhibition titled Beaded Bodega. Running from August 21 to September 18, 2024, the installation in Gotham’s mezzanine gallery features beaded representations of twenty-one of the most recognizable and beloved snack foods. Nguyen, a self-taught beader, brings her unique artistic perspective to this vibrant collection, demonstrating her skill at transforming everyday objects into decorative works of art.
Vi Nguyen’s journey into embroidery began as a creative outlet during the pandemic, though her connection to the craft runs deeper. Growing up in Vietnam, Nguyen was inspired by her mother, who hand-sewn and embellished clothing. This early exposure to needlework laid the foundation for her practice today. Her beaded creations, which mimic widely known snack brands, evoke a sense of nostalgia and childhood memories through the careful medium of hand-beading.
Haribo Gold Bears, Image © Gotham NY
Celebrate snack culture with beadwork
Beaded Bodega at Gotham, NY captures the essence of New York City’s bodega culture and draws on artist Vi Nguyen’s experiences of living in the city. These corner shops, quintessential NYC shops, are known for their offerings of snacks and everyday items. Nguyen’s pieces feature enlarged, beaded versions of familiar items like morning bagels, late-night chips, and even lottery tickets, showcasing her talent for transforming everyday objects into visually appealing art. This collection not only highlights the artist’s technical skill, but also pays homage to the role of bodegas in the everyday lives of New Yorkers.
Nguyen’s artistic approach revolves around transforming everyday foods into unexpected, fun and decorative works of art. She uses beads to create textured, vibrant and shimmering pieces that invite closer inspection. Her fascination with snack packaging, particularly the brands and designs found on the chip and candy aisles, is evident in her work. Her beaded interpretations bring these everyday designs to life, adding a special appeal through beauty and shine. designboom interviewed the artist to learn more about her processes and inspirations!
Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Fries, image © Gotham NY
in conversation with the artist Vi Nguyen
designboom (DB): What inspired you to make snack culture the subject of your artwork?
Vi Nguyen (VN): Food can so easily be a common ground between different cultures or communities, much like a bodega. For me, snacks in the world of food are always fun, enjoyable, and can even be nostalgic. I love turning something familiar, like your favorite bag of chips, into something eye-catching and an unexpected art medium. I’m personally fueled by snacks, so they feed my pearl inspiration.
DB: You mention that your mother’s sewing and embellishing of clothes influenced your work. Can you tell us more about how these early experiences shaped your approach to embroidery and beading?
VN: Since my mother could sew and make just about any costume a child could dream of, I was lucky enough to be able to witness the entire process right alongside her. From the trip to the fabric store to the final fitting, she showed me how fun, beautiful and valuable it is to make something yourself. What an incredible feeling to have something that was made just for you. Even though I’ve never tried making clothes myself, I sat there in awe of all the techniques and patience that goes into making clothes.
Lay’s potato chips, image © Gotham NY
VN continued: Years later, when I was looking for a new creative outlet, it was only natural to discover needle and thread as a medium and to bring handcraft into my life. I immediately began teaching myself hand embroidery using books and YouTube. I’ve always enjoyed small, meticulous crafts, so somehow I found one of the small mediums I could use: glass beads. For me, the process of beading is very meditative and it is incredibly satisfying to finish a piece and know that forty hours later you just made it by hand. I hope people can continue to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of hand-embroidered beadwork and handmade goods. I’m so glad I learned this from my mom.
DB: How does living in New York City inspire your work and what do bodegas mean to you?
VN: Living in New York, it feels like you can have anything, anytime, anyplace you want. The possibilities seem endless. Kind of like a bodega, where you walk into this tiny shop and suddenly you have everything you need. So far, most of my beaded art has been snacks and candy, but I’m starting to venture into beverages. We can bead things in the home goods section, on the magazine wall, and all the goodies behind the counter. Bodegas offer endless creative inspiration.
When I think back to my time in New York, I remember so many events that my shop witnessed. From buying a drink and a lottery ticket to celebrate a new job, to buying a pint of ice cream and chips to deal with the grief, to buying that first BEC after a stay out of town. Food and snacks can bring back memories like that, and being able to turn them into beaded art is my ode to New York and your local shop.
Pocky, Image © Gotham NY
DB: How do you decide which snacks to replicate and what elements of their packaging and branding catch your eye?
VN: Beaded Bodega has a full inventory of items to recreate! Sometimes I choose items that I have a personal connection to or that I like to eat. I’m always talking to people about snacks too, so it’s fun to hear what other people like and make a mental note of it.
When it comes to packaging and branding, bright colors and typography catch my eye. Color coordination and perfect logos are two aspects I always want to get right. Many traditional snack brands alternate between the same colors (red, blue, orange), so it’s fun to try more modern brands with bolder fonts and colors. Snack mascots are also fun, as they’re like a little piece of art themselves.
Glazed Strawberry Pop-Tarts, Image © Gotham NY
DB: Of the 21 pearl snacks on display, can you name some pieces that particularly stuck in your mind or were a particular challenge?
VN: My Lay’s Trio set, which consists of Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, and Barbeque, was a wonderful learning experience. This is the only set I’ve made. I found it difficult to bead the same logo multiple times, which is why my pieces are one of a kind and nothing is mass produced. Typography is often the most challenging when beading, and for these pieces I combined beadwork with traditional embroidery that I’ve now learned to better integrate with beading. The chips in these pieces were also the first time I’d ever beaded food, which was a fun new challenge to explore how to turn beads into realistic things. There were so many different elements I could learn from making just one piece.
Still, “Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion” is a very special and memorable piece for me because it went viral and really helped open the doors for Beaded Bodega.
