Artists and The Cooper Union School of Art alumni Tammy Nguyen A’07 and William Villalongo A’99 will be in conversation about A Comedy for Mortals, an exhibition of Nguyen’s artist books inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy series that is currently on view at The Cooper Union Library. The works, which combine sculptural elements with screen-prints, handset type, and hand-made and hand-marbled papers, examine the history of the Cold War and relations between the United States and other countries, particularly those in the Global South and those engaged in the Non-Aligned Movement. Through their multimedia practices that combine painting and printmaking among other media both Nguyen and Villalongo explore the politics of historical erasures. 

Following the conversation, a closing reception for A Comedy for Mortals will be held in the Library. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required here.  

Tammy Nguyen is a multimedia artist whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, and book making. Her work and books have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ICA Boston, MOMA PS1, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Sarasota Art Museum, among many others. She serves on the faculty at Wesleyan University and is represented by Lehmann Maupin. In addition to her practice in traditional fine arts, Nguyen is the founder of Passenger Pigeon Press. This independent press publishes Martha’s Quarterly and collaborations with other artists and writers. Nguyen, who received a Fulbright scholarship to study lacquer painting in Vietnam, received a B.F.A. from The Cooper Union and her M.F.A. from Yale University. 

William Villalongo’s figurative paintings, works on paper, and sculpture are concerned with representing the Black subject against notions of race exploring metaphors of mythology and liberation. He has received multiple recognitions including the Jules Guerin & Harold M. English Rome Prize Fellow in Visual Art, a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptor's Grant, and his work is included in several collections including the Studio Museum in Harlem and The Whitney Museum of American Art. An associate professor at The Cooper Union School of Art, he is represented by Susan Inglett Gallery. Villalongo, who received his B.F.A. from The Cooper Union School of Art and his M.F.A. from Tyler School of Art at Temple University, also attended Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture.