BIO
Joseph Bui is a Houston native, born and raised in the diverse, working–class suburb of Alief. He comes from a Vietnamese household, where his mother runs a hair salon business while his dad is a caregiver and handyman. His parents' first generation identity aimed to integrate their Vietnamese heritage with their new American context, leading to an understanding and adopting mindset that let Joseph's creativity flourish. From a young age, Joseph was attracted to the arts and eventually found his way to photography through taking photos on behalf of his school and classmates. Ultimately, his dedication and leadership in high school earned him a merit-based, full- tuition Posse Scholarship to attend Colby College in Maine, where he earned his B.A. degree in Studio Art: Photography in 2022. Despite a lack of distinct Asian presence at Colby, Joseph was able to explore different interests and his queer identity, leading to his project "Queer Journey," a photo book showcasing narratives and portraits of the queer community on campus in Waterville, Maine. However, due to COVID–19, his college experience was altered as classes went online, and he was sent back to Houston. Fortunately, this time at home with his family inspired his project, “I LOVE YOU. I MISS YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY.”, a photo book that focuses on preserving his family through the smaller moments. Now back in Houston, Joseph is tapping into the Vietnamese community to gain a deeper understanding of his heritage and is extending his queer narratives into the Houston community to represent and showcase the voices and diversity of queer and Asian identities. Currently, Joseph is a part of organizations such as Diversify Photo Up Next and the Asian American Journalists Association, where he is growing as a visual artist through mentorship and peer support. In this interview, Joseph discusses growing up as a queer Vietnamese American in Houston, his upbringing with first-generation immigrant parents and his sister, early memories of artistic mentors, recent photography projects, insights on the photography scene in Houston, thoughts on the philosophy of art in today’s society, responsibilities and burnout as an artist, involvement with extracurricular photography associations, his initiative to hold onto his Vietnamese identity in a generation where it might be fading, and his hopes to leave a legacy through photography and the memory of being a caring son and friend in his community.