This fall, halsey_institute presents “Kenny Nguyen: The Divine Eye,” an evocative, large-scale installation that invites viewers to engage with the rich spiritual and cultural history of Vietnam through the lens of Caodaism. Rooted in the synthesis of Eastern and Western philosophies, Caodaism — a syncretic religion founded in Vietnam in the 1920s — serves as both inspiration and metaphor in this powerful work. In his practice, Nguyen transforms torn strips of silk by dipping them into acrylic paint, layering them onto canvas, and hanging them dynamically on the wall to construct new topographies with each installation. For the first time, his technique has been adapted to form columns that reflect the religion’s distinctive temple architecture, which marries traditional Eastern elements with Western influences, creating a visual dialogue between the past and the present, the local and the global. This exhibition is free and open to the public at the Halsey Institute in Charleston, S...