Joseph Bui
Joseph Bui (he/him) is a Houston-based editorial and portrait photographer/artist. Identifying as Vietnamese-American, he developed an interest in storytelling on topics of relationships between people, community, identity, culture, and the theme of “home."
As an active listener and observer, he explores the strengths and vulnerabilities of the topics he works with, as well as their relationship to the environment they exist in. His portrait work is informed by discovering people's personalities and perspectives, both on an individual level and through themes that connect them. This has led him to telling the stories of the Queer Community in Waterville, Maine, and most recently his own family in Houston, Texas through his photo book and series, “I Love You. I Miss You. Have A Good Day."
In these uncertain times, I find myself bombarded by distressing headlines that promote anxiety and the fear of death. But during these times, I am also motivated to photograph my parents. This body of work is strongly influenced by photographer Larry Sultan, whose 'Pictures from Home' series explores a complicated parental relationship. He beautifully states, “I realize that beyond the rolls of film and the few good pictures, the demands of my project and my confusion about its meaning, is the wish to take photography literally. To stop time. I want my parents to live forever.”
I do too, Sultan.
“I Love You. I Miss You. Have A Good Day.,” is titled after the short phrase I would say to my mother before she left for work — words that have now become something of a prayer for me. This series of photographs examines a rich and gentle narrative of family kinship, the inevitability of aging, and the will to move forward.
My father is a handyman.
He can fix anything around the house.
He has a stern face.
A man of few words.
My mother is a hairdresser.
She cuts our family’s hair in her small salon.
She has a gentle face.
A charismatic woman.
They are my world and more.
