Kieu Tran is a first generation Vietnamese American artist based in Oakland, California.
She creates elegant, sensuous, biomorphic ceramic sculptures that exist somewhere between the abstract and figurative. In her work, Kieu strives to give expression to emotion, to allow the aesthetic of the form to tell you something about the inspiration behind the piece on a wordless, instinctual level. She considers her sculptures to be an effort that gives form to the human soul and to remind us of our shared humanity.
For studies, Kieu obtained a bachelor’s degree in art history from UCLA and studied art while living in Italy and Germany. In 2014, Kieu followed an intriguing pull to Silicon Valley where she learned to code in 2014 and soon after became a full time software engineer. On a parallel path, she also developed a serious ceramic art practice. Immersing in the two practices side-by-side, Kieu eventually realized that she was always meant to be an artist. In January of 2021, Kieu left tech to pursue her passion of becoming a full time artist. In less than one year on her destined path, her ceramic sculptures have since been received with excitement and she has cultivated a growing following of enthusiastic collectors.
Her work has been featured in Interior Design Magazine, Surface Magazine, Sight Unseen, EST Living and Design Anthology Asia.
Statement
My work emphasizes the ideas of connection and empathy. I creates elegant, sensuous, biomorphic ceramic sculptures with velvet soft finishes that invite touch. An important element of my work is that it evokes a sense of playfulness and joy in the viewer.
I capture personal experiences and emotions and translate them to emotionally resonant abstract forms. I start them with merely a specific silhouette in mind, but as I build, the hollow form takes on deeper meaning. By kneading the flesh of the earth and forming it in my hands, I transmit to it the essence of my emotions, state of mind, and spirit. Love, joy and wonder are all universal emotions; I believe if I can evoke these emotions through my abstract forms, perhaps I can help people feel how connected we all are.
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