An upcoming exhibition in El Cajon will bring together artists working across various mediums of visual art, including paintings, illustrations, photography, ceramics, sculptures, and writing, to explore grief, remembrance, identity, and transformation.
Curated by artist and writer Vee Nguyen, the exhibition is intended to create space for reflection on experiences that are often deeply personal and difficult to express publicly.
The show invites artists and visitors to consider grief not only as loss through death, but as a broader emotional landscape shaped by change, relationships, and identity.
“In my recent years, the feeling of grief has become so familiar to the point that I think it will always be a part of me,” Nguyen said. “From loss of a loved one, broken relationships, the atrocities of our world, to reflecting on my past self, I now have a better understanding of what grief is.”
Nguyen said her understanding of grief has shifted over time from a narrow definition to a more layered and ongoing experience.
“Before, I only thought of grief as a passing emotion relevant to death, but after experiencing the multifacetedness of grief, I realized how common it is and just how many of us hold onto grief so deeply, whether we realize it or not,” Nguyen said.
The exhibition encourages a wide range of interpretations. Submissions may address grief connected to personal identity, cultural experience, relationships, political realities, or internal transformation.
“I feel grief is defined by your attachments to your relationships with either yourself or others and how you deal with letting go,” Nguyen said. “I welcome all kinds of experiences with grief because I think we should open our minds to others’ perspectives and cultural differences.”
As a first-generation Vietnamese American, Nguyen said cultural perspectives have shaped how grief is understood and expressed in the exhibition’s curatorial approach. Early submissions have already reflected themes including identity, politics, upbringing, relationships, and mortality.
While poetry has been the most common submission format so far, Nguyen said visual artists are also developing new work specifically for the show.
The exhibition will take place at Studio C in downtown El Cajon. Nguyen said the venue came together through a connection with the artist and Studio C owner Carlos Castrejon, who offered the space for the event.
“He was generous enough to offer his space as a venue to me after we realized how aligned we were with our intentions for the creative and local community,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen serves as the exhibition’s curator and primary organizer and hopes the event will help strengthen creative connections within East County.
“I would like for them to also feel comfortable or vulnerable enough to experience and relate to the many artists/writers that will be part of my grief exhibition,” Nguyen said.
For visitors, the goal is engagement beyond observation.
“I want them to find visual pieces or literary works that make them feel what the creator intended, empathize with the emotions expressed, or truly relate due to their own personal interpretations,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen also emphasized the role of artistic expression in processing emotion and building connection.
“The world is so big, and we are so small, but we need to remind ourselves that in our small, independent lives, emotions are what bridge our interconnectedness to each other,” Nguyen said. “I believe that artistic expression is therapeutic and healing in itself … a reminder that we are not perfect but actually just human, and it’s OK.”
The exhibit is scheduled to open in August.
