Inspiration behind my art
With a hunger for social justice and a thirst for impact, Tran thrives in highlighting the strengths and voices of marginalized communities and aim to incite social change. She understands and acknowledges that the best forms of social advocacy can only exist in a collaborative community and put the collective first.
Portfolio
DIGITAL ART
DIGITAL ART
“Healing Cranes” billboard digital art, 10x22 ft, 2021. I created this work during the pandemic to reveal the bilingual message of healing by Vietnamese Buddhist Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.
"Viet Families Stories, Chuyện Gia Đình" 24x36” project poster, 2020 & 2018. Image credit: Ngoc-Tran Vu and Justin Nguyen
“Stop Asian Hate." In collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), this work speaks directly to the anti-Asian hate and Asian Americans speaking out to protect themselves and their communities during the COVID pandemic. The image shown is of a community rally in Dorchester, MA in 2020.
"Viet Families Stories, Chuyện Gia Đình" 24x36” project poster, 2020 & 2018. Image credit: Ngoc-Tran Vu and Justin Nguyen
“Coping with COVID Stress?” image. In collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), this work speaks directly to the Asian American communities regarding stress and mental health during the COVID pandemic. The figures represented are of Asian women in their respective roles as grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters, and daughters.
Steppingstone Gala Invitation Design. Inspired by the works of Piet Mondrians and Donald Judd, this design embodies a modern art twist to support the annual fall gala of The Steppingstone Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, develops and implements programs that prepare underserved students for educational opportunities to college success.
"Families Stories Project" Team and video, 2018. Photo credit: Harold Than Both the image and project to showcase the talented Vietnamese performing artists that formed the cohesive intergenerational team. We met weekly over the course of four months leading up the performances to write, edit, rehearse and translate the scripts into both Vietnamese and English.
“Just Breathe” Butterfly LGBTQ + Design. In collaboration with Newton Cultural Development, this design offers a calmness through breathwork with elements of the nuanced pride flag amidst a community festival as the pandemic lingers on.
“My Refugee Status,” mixed media 7x5”, 2016
"Community in Action" mural sketch & design
Rise of the Conical Hats
In collaboration with Daniel Lam and the Boston Cyberarts Gallery for the Boston Convention Center, this video addresses and advocates for freedom through the rise of the Vietnamese people in the symbolic form of conical hats. Through cultural and historic imagery, there’s an embedded journey of challenges with an ultimate success at the end - a hopeful imagery for the future of Vietnamese people.
Year of the Earth Dog
2018
PAINTING
PAINTING
“Asian Women, Asian Sisters” ink and oil on canvas 14x16", 2020. This painting portrays the complexities of women of color through shapes, colors, shades and spacing. My intention usage of vibrant colors reveals the depth of beauty too often unseen but the critical need to honor Asian women and our narratives.
“Women of Color” oil on canvas 14x16”, 2020 refurbished. This painting portrays the complexities of women of color through shapes, colors, shades and spacing. My intention usage of vibrant colors reveals the depth of beauty too often unseen but the critical need to honor women of color in the dominant narrative.
“Youngest + Eldest” oil on woods, 10” diameters, 2020. These paintings on Vietnamese cutting boards showcase my nephew and grandmother - both representing the youngest and oldest members in my family.
"Sapa Vietnam" acrylics on canvas. This painting is a depiction of the Sapa landscape in Vietnam. Known for its rice paddies embedded in a majestic geography of vibrant colors, this work hopes to give justice to the breathtaking beauty to the lands of Sapa.
“Family Portrait” oil on wood, 13” diameter, 2020. Accordingly, "Family Portrait" depicts my personal family as zodiac animals in the Vietnamese tradition and framework. My parents are represented in the center as the monkey and tiger while my siblings and I and fellow grandchildren all surround them as a pig, a rat, a baby tiger, a dragon, and a horse, etc. The animals all manifest their own meanings and symbolisms in threaded ways that call for further attention toward each.
“Ba Cô Gái, three girls,” oil on canvas 48x60”, 2016. This image showcases the Vietnamese folklore of three girls. This haunting narrative is often shared and passed down within Vietnamese families to their children.
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
“My Activist Dad” Billboard, 20x15 ft, 2020 This is an image of my dad holding a Stop Asian Hate protest sign right next to my painted utility box in 2020. I wanted to showcase the importance of my dad as a local resident speaking out for the Asian American community.
"Ceremony on a Boat" digital photograph 17x12”, 2016. Photo credit: Ngoc-Tran Vu This photograph was taken during a spiritual pilgrimage I was a part of in Huế, Vietnam. For the past 10 years, I have been documenting spiritual rituals and ceremonies across cultures, particularly in the Vietnamese shaman traditions.
“Honoring the Mother,” digital photograph 12x17”, 2016
“Restless Souls” digital photograph 17x12”, 2016 In 2016, I attended the Điện Hòn Chén festival in Huế, Vietnam and documented many spiritual rituals and shamanic ceremonies as part of my "Pilgrimage series."
Prayers
“My Vietnamese Father” analog photograph 20x16,” 2007 This photograph is of my father holding a picture of his younger self while in his first year of military school training in 1970. My father later became a lieutenant in the South Vietnamese army. Consequently, it was because of my dad's involvement in the war that my family and I were able to come to the U.S as political refugees through the Humanitarian Operation (HO) Program in the early 90s as part of the third wave of Vietnamese resettlement.
Dancing
Jeepney Driver 2009, digital photography, 12x17” Documenting the work of a local driver in the Philippines as I navigated the country.
Jellyfish
Jellyfish
Laundry 2009, digital photography, 12x17” Depicting the daily tasks of many Vietnamese families and in this scenario - doing laundry right in front of the house in Ho Chi Minh City.
Saigon Life 2009, digital photography, 12x17” This image showcases my cousin and her baby - both lounging in the afternoon post naptime. The usage of her phone showcases the connection and mannerism between two people in a typical household in Vietnam.
Tarp
The Shrine
Tunisian Women
Temple
“Vietnamese Diaspora Women,” digital photograph 12x17”, 2016 This image is part of my photo series on "Vietnamese Diaspora." As part of my practice, I regularly document members of my local community in the Boston area during cultural events and activities.
Click on the logo hats on the map to see the public art projects by Tran Vu Arts throughout Greater Boston.
Stop by to see the works and be sure to tag @TranVuArts on social media!
PUBLIC ART / INSTALLATION
PUBLIC ART / INSTALLATION
PERMANENT
PERMANENT
"Growth" 2023 Utility Box Bowdoin St and Geneva Ave, Dorchester Supported by the City of Boston's Office of Arts and Culture, this utility box is a contribution to PaintBox 2023. Its design is aimed at highlighting the rich beauty of communities of color, embellished with the vividness of floral elements and lush greenery.
Peace Pole Project, 2023 The Peace Poles Trail transforms our community response to violence by honoring those we have lost in colorful mixed media installations around street poles. Each installation uplifts one of the seven principles of peace that guide our work at the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute- love, unity, hope, faith, courage, justice, and forgiveness- while celebrating the dreams held and principles embodied by our lost loved ones. Together, the poles offer a Peace Trail of memories honored and collective dreams envisioned. Centering the participation of the younger generation, Generation Peace, we are invited to interrupt old cycles of violence and build new cycles of peace alongside them. While the project is designed to grow over time, it begins with the creation of seven peace poles along the route of our annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace. Our artist cohort of muralists, educators, arts therapists, and survivors design the poles and guide children & families from our survivor network in including their loved ones’ memories alongside the principles they embodied. The next principle of peace that we hold up is the principle of faith with lead artist Ngoc-Tran Vu. We dedicate this pole to faith by inviting our community of survivors to hand paint small wooden altars or sanctuaries that can in turn hold loved ones’ photos and/or memories to support us with faith on our journey. Younger members of our survivor families as well as youth leaders from the Fields Corner Crossroads Collaborative (FCCC) Youth Council are also invited to join in this process. Together, these hand-painted altars/sanctuaries will be attached to a winding copper strip alongside additional prefabricated altars/sanctuaries and then woven in a spiral around a streetlight. While commemorating the many loved ones our homicide survivors' network has lost, together we offer our community FAITH in their names.
Did you Eat Yet? 8 x 16 ft., 2023 This mural is a vibrant public art project in collaboration with the Harbor Health Center's Food Pantry and the City of Boston that amplifies meaningful community engagement with the theme of food security. Located in the heart of Boston's Neponset neighborhood in Dorchester, this striking mural transforms the neighborhood's urban fabric, while amplifying the theme of local families' relationships to food. Through a series of community focus groups, I collaborated with participants who regularly comes to the food pantry for feedback on their experiences. My vision was to create a universal narrative on the importance of food as a cultural bond that transcends borders. This visual feast uses culturally significant food items and symbolism to connect diverse communities, while addressing issues of food security and accessibility.
"Let's All Heal" 2022, former church pew, public art installation In collaboration with Newton Community Pride’s Sit and Soar Project, this bench’s theme centers on healing embedded with flowers and vibrant colors to amplify hope and renewal.
Phở 75 utility box: 2020 44" wide, 64" tall, and 26" In collaboration with the Downtown Business Innovation District and its theme - Taste of Boston, I painted the Vietnamese signature dish of phở and its ingredients embedded.
“Water as Source” 2020 Utility Box I painted this utility box with the inspiration of water, particularly water from Vietnam. There is a Vietnamese proverb that says, "When drinking water, remember its source" and I wanted to pay homage to this cultural reference, the water and its native land.
“My Activist Dad” Billboard, 20x15 ft, 2020 This is an image of my dad holding a Stop Asian Hate protest sign right next to my painted utility box in 2020. I wanted to showcase the importance of my dad as a local resident speaking out for the Asian American community.
Community in Action Mural Design In collaboration with Vietnamese youth artists in Dorchester, this design captures the three core themes of the mural project embedded with cultural symbols as well as folklore and landscape of Vietnam. The themes are the Vietnamese American narratives, themes of community unity and hopes for a brighter future.
“Community in Action: A Mural for the Vietnamese People” mixed media 8x24 ft., 2017-18
“Community in Action: A Mural for the Vietnamese People” mixed media 8x24 ft., 2017-18 This intergenerational public art project based in Dorchester brings together the community to promote and celebrate the narrative of Vietnamese American culture and history as well as promote its ties to a unified vision of Dorchester and Boston. This project helped lay the foundation for my practice in socially engaged art as I organized and worked alongside my neighbors and community residents.
TEMPORARY
TEMPORARY
“Just Breathe” 2022 Butterfly LGBTQ+ Design In collaboration with Newton Cultural Development, this design offers a calmness through breathwork with elements of the nuanced pride flag amidst a community festival as the pandemic lingers on.
“Just Breathe” 2022 Butterfly LGBTQ+ Design In collaboration with Newton Cultural Development, this design offers a calmness through breathwork with elements of the nuanced pride flag amidst a community festival as the pandemic lingers on.
Say Their Names Sculpture Project, 90" H x 50" W, 2021, 20k budget Say Their Names Project is a collaboration between myself as the lead artist, a group of young people and Building Audacity - an organization based in Lynn, MA grounded in education and the community. The project was aim at amplifying young people in Greater Boston and their voices in addressing local issues of police violence, housing and education disparity. "Say Their Names" was envisioned out of the critical need to build youth leadership and agency amidst on-going racial injustice in our country and beyond. The permanent sculpture is in the process of finding a new home site as the original plan of being installed at the Freedom House in Roxbury has recently changed.
Garden pots, 2020 In collaboration with the City of Boston's Urban Mechanics team, I created these socially engaged works of art for a local community garden in Dorchester. I researched local needs of residents at the farm and created works that are culturally responsive.
“Ba cô gái, three girls," 2020 oil on canvas 48x60”, 2016 Inspired by Vietnamese folklore and ghost stories, this work depicts the story that Vietnamese families often share of three girls journeying and in search of something.
Public Art Engagements
Public Art Engagements
"As We Are Home", 2015. Photo credit: Courtney Regan This participatory public art project based in Dorchester’s Fields Corner and Uphams Corner neighborhood invites residents to decorate a couch on the theme of home.
"As We Are Home", 2015. Photo credit: Courtney Regan This participatory public art project based in Dorchester’s Fields Corner and Uphams Corner neighborhood invites residents to decorate a couch on the theme of home.
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
Photo credit: Sevenpair Studios
Healing Garden
"Healing Garden" 2022
"Healing Garden" 2022 This piece of a peace/healing garden addresses that the need for healing, mental health support, and renewal is more urgent than ever.
"Healing Garden" 2022
“39” mixed media installation, 2020 This site-specific installation is an homage to the 39 bodies and lives of Vietnamese migrants found in a refrigerated trunk in the U.K, 2019. These tragic journeys are painfully and dangerously happening more often than we realize and the need to unearth its systems and intentions are dire.
“39” mixed media installation, 2020 This site-specific installation is an homage to the 39 bodies and lives of Vietnamese migrants found in a refrigerated trunk in the U.K, 2019. These tragic journeys are painfully and dangerously happening more often than we realize and the need to unearth its systems and intentions are dire.
“Made Elsewhere” Project, mixed media 2x8ft, 2018
“Made Elsewhere” Project, mixed media 2x8ft, 2018 As an artist in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts, I created this piece as an homage to the original design of Lady Liberty. To address the Trump's Muslim Ban, I used found materials made outside of the US and flags of the banned Muslim countries to recreate the original statue which is the depiction of an Egyptian woman by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.This temporary public sculpture highlighted themes and issues of immigration, home and belonging. This repurposed sculpture based out of recycled materials was based on the original design of lady liberty to highlight immigrant and refugee labor during Trump’s Muslim ban.
"Healing Altar" 100x24x24, 2017. Photo credit: Ngoc-Tran Vu sculpture 100x24x24, 2017 2016, digital photography - Pilgrimage series, 12x17” These images are documentation of the Điện Hòn Chén festival in Huế, an annual pilgrimage and temple delegations down the local river that honors the Mother Goddess religion and spiritual practices.
“Confinement,” sculpture 5x7x5, 2017
“Tribe,” sculpture 12x5x12, 2017
"Entanglement" sculpture, 120x24x48" 2010 This sculpture installation showcase the complexity of repurposed materials to bring forth connections and entanglement between layers of relationships that can coexist, function or slowly not be sustainable.
Activism through art
I will always stand for equality and believe that no matter your culture, economic background, and orientation all deserve access to equal opportunity and to be a part of a supportive community.
I strive to level the playing field for all minority communities and remain an ally, a friend and a partner for our diverse BIPOC and AAPI communities. I am continually humbled by the immense passion, talent, innovation, and creativity that encompasses our community of immigrants and marginalized folks.
I also believe transparent communication is the key to building a sustainable community and thriving ecosystem of communities. Art is the perfect medium for such progress.
Dorchester Not For Sale
A multilingual coalition of intergenerational local residents fighting for equitable development without displacement while centering working-class people of color. I worked and collaborated on this flyer with local artist Justin Nguyen.
Dorchester Not For Sale (DN4S) Community Dinner Flyer and Video, 2018.
Image credit: Ngoc-Tran Vu and Justin Nguyen
This flier was for the Dorchester Not For Sale's Community Dinner and Forum series. Dorchester Not For Sale - a multilingual coalition of intergenerational local residents fighting for equitable development without displacement while centering working-class people of color.
I worked and collaborated on this flyer with local artist Justin Nguyen.
For a Future To Be Possible Healing Ritual
This healing ritual is a performance from the 2016 photographic series, "Pilgrimage to Hué", the annual festival site honoring indigenous Vietnamese Mother Goddess through ornate boat altars, offerings and ritual trance. I wanted to share my practice in performing arts and rituals.
“Made Elsewhere”
by Ngoc-Tran Vu