Kwinnie Lê

Image: Portrait of Kwinnie Lê

Kwinnie Lê is an artist, researcher, poet and shapeshifter. By departing from mythology, folklore and oral histories, they situate ancestral traditions in contemporary urban life. Currently, they’re investigating the revival, reclamation and (re)inscription of traditional tattoo practices as a practice of decolonization and engage in semi-fictional narratives as a mode of critical speculation.

Kwinnie is currently conducting a 4-month research trip through Vietnam on ancient Vietnamese tatu traditions. Out of the four, they are spending one month in Huế to focus on certain aspects of their work, including experimentations with engravings on bronze gongs and mud-dyeing fabrics. Here, they have also come to realize a years-long plan - designing and producing customized bronze tatu tools. With these new gears, Kwinnie will be hosting four tatu sessions, or rather, in their own choice of phrasings, four marking rituals with four selected receivers. To become a participant, please click the link in our bio and fill out the registration form.

Images of Kwinnie’s experimentation at AirHue