The Asian American collective CFGNY marked its 10th anniversary on Friday night with a fashion presentation at the Amant art space in Brooklyn. The event featured 35 participants in garments made from materials sourced in Vietnam and assembled by tailors in Ho Chi Minh City.
Established in 2016 by artists Daniel Chew, Ten Izu, and Tin Nguyen, CFGNY explores ambiguous notions of Asian identity through art and fashion. The show, titled CFG-20260717, drew inspiration from the history of video technology and the introduction of the Portapak recorder to New York art scenes.
More than 400 guests attended the presentation, which opened with a lecture on video technology history by curator Angelique Rosales Salgado. Models carried cameras that projected live images onto LED monitors while wearing deconstructed pieces, including bump dresses adorned with plush toys.
Tin Nguyen said backstage that the group has avoided industry norms over the decade. “We’ve really moved forward in the ways in which we believe things should be made or dealt with or delegated,” Nguyen said. Actor Ken Leung and editor Blake Abbie also participated, noting the growing space for experimentation among Asian American creatives.
CFGNY currently has work on view in the Whitney Biennial and at The Met’s Costume Institute.