𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗲
𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗶𝘇

8 November 2025 – 26 January 2027
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Naala Nura building
Ground level, Asian Lantern Galleries
Free

Drawn to place: charms tracing home, memory and migration 2025
site-specific installation
Commissioned by the Art Gallery of New South Wales for And Still I Rise 2025. Thanks to the UNSW School of Art and Design Research Grant and Courtesy the artist.

These symbols articulate both boundaries and connections, shaped by distance and orientation in migration.

– Bic Tieu

Charms aren’t just worn – they’re carried, believed in, and passed down, with each one holding meaning beyond its form. Bic Tieu uses charms as a conduit to explore personal themes of memory, migration and identity. Presented in a constellation made of silver-based alloys and lacquer, her works map the nuanced intersections of cultural hybridity and diasporic identity in contemporary Australia. Through techniques such as casting, alloying, patination and surface layering, she creates forms that vary in size and detail.

Her ‘charmed’ objects – both large and small – are inspired by her Vietnamese–Chinese heritage. Traditional motifs like clouds, flowers and sea forms are woven together with references to Australia’s natural environment. Words like bún, phở, , bánh mì, Cabra, and Dharug point to cross-cultural histories that are often overlooked. While visually striking, these objects contain deeper layers of meaning, echoing the complex stories of many migrants. Tieu’s practice gently reminds us that these elements of daily life are rich with shared memory, cultural exchange and a deep sense of belonging.