TULSA, OK.- Philbrook announced the powerful new exhibition, Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn: Fragments & Transformation, on view now through January 3, 2027.

Born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam in 1976, Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn fled the country as a young child in 1979 with his family, settling first in Tulsa. Profoundly influenced by his childhood experience as a refugee, he committed himself to the healing needed for those affected by violence. As an adult, Nguyễn returned to Vietnam and centered his artistic practice on empowerment and rebuilding. Using remnants of unexploded ordnance (UXO), including artillery shells found at bombing sites, he creates abstract sculptures that spring from the worlds created within his films.

This exhibition highlights three related works by Nguyễn: a film and two sculptures—one a recent addition to the Philbrook collection on view for the first time: Blast (2024). Inspired by the anti-war activism and artwork of Alexander Calder, Nguyễn’s Blast embodies perfect balance. Its metal components are reclaimed UXO from Quảng Trị, a province in Vietnam’s North Central Coast, one of the most heavily bombed regions on earth.

"It is a distinct honor to present this spotlight exhibition of work by Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn at Philbrook and to be able to share the sculpture Blast with our community. Whether in sculpture or film, Nguyễn compellingly conveys a balance of beauty and power, past and present, as well as pain and the potential for immeasurable healing.” said Philbrook curator, Susan Green.





Creating an immersive experience, the exhibition includes a continuous screening of the artist’s film, The Unburied Sounds of a Troubled Horizon (2022). In this story, Nguyễn shows us the landscape of Quảng Trị as the protagonist, a scrap metal dealer, transforms UXO into sculptures. As she does so, she searches for the transcendent possibilities of healing within objects of destruction and within herself—storytelling that brings to life the artworks on view in the next room.

Named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow, Nguyễn is the current featured artist on New York City’s High Line Plinth and an invited artist at the 2026 Venice Biennale.