Thu Van Tran (b. 1979, Ho Chi Minh City; lives in Paris) fled with her family to France in 1981. She completed her studies at the Glasgow School of Art and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. For many years, the artist has been creating a body of work that includes photographs, drawings, and films, as well as sculptures and installations, which are brought together in situ to form a grand narrative that raises questions about our ability to remember the history, rituals, and legacies of countries or even nations. She is interested in how yesterday looms over today, and how historical consciousness and collective consciousness interact with each other. Addressing Vietnam’s postcolonial relations with France and the United States, her practice is consistently inspired by literature, history, and nature, with a focus on the ways in which the cultural concepts of contamination, identity, and language are explored within these fields. In 2018, she was nominated for France’s prestigious Prix Marcel Duchamp.
The 58th Carnegie International is supported by Etant donnés Contemporary Art, a program from Villa Albertine and FACE Foundation, in partnership with the French Embassy in the United States, with support from the French Ministry of Culture, Institut français, Ford Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, CHANEL, and ADAGP.
