We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kieu Tran a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kieu, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

My journey to art and finding clay as a mode of creative expression was an adventure and proof that it’s never too late to discover art, despite your cultural and socioeconomic background, institutional barriers, and societal pressures under capitalism. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in art history from UCLA in 2012 and also studied art history while living in Italy and Germany, but was not making any art myself. I initially wanted to work in a museum or gallery, but struggled to find a job in the arts post graduation. Frustrated, I followed an intriguing pull to Silicon Valley where I learned to code in 2014 and soon after became a full time software engineer. On a parallel path, I developed a serious ceramic art practice.

In January of 2019, I took a 3 month sabbatical from work and did a 3 month intensive pottery program with La Meridiana, an international school of ceramics in Tuscany, Italy which changed my life. This chance to fully throw myself into the rhythm of making with technical structure and rigor for a stretch of uninterrupted time under the beautiful Tuscan sun made me want a true creative career. When I returned from the residency, I rented my first private art studio and began making sculptures and realized I was always meant to be an artist.

What began as a therapeutic hobby, became a calling. When I discovered sculpture and what simple forms could say more than words could ever communicate, I was hooked. I don’t have formal art training, but a lack of formal training didn’t stop me from breaking into tech either. No stranger to challenges and drastically changing my life, I officially quit tech in January of 2021 to pursue my passion of becoming a full time artist.

A purely wheel focused functional ceramics practice later progressed into a hand-building practice more focused on blurring the lines between abstract and figurative. Creating my biomorphic, sensuous ceramic sculptures became a mode of exercising self-care, learning, and asserting my existence as a first-generation Asian American woman. My work strives to give a nonverbal expression to emotions, allowing the form to articulate the inspiration, often reflecting on the fluidity of identity, the pressure of societal norms, and the human need for love, belonging, and connection. My works draw from personal memories and experiences, but I believe they reveal shared experiences in the universal consciousness. In a world where I am always seen as other, I want my work to show just how similar we all are. We all need love, joy and a sense of belonging.

Kieu, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My artistic practice is rooted in meditation, surrendering and self examination. I sculpt sensuous, biomorphic forms that strive to give form to the human soul. As a first-generation Vietnamese American immigrant woman, I delve into my personal history, extracting emotions that surpass the specificity of my experience. These sculptures, while inspired by my cultural and individual identity, transcend into meditations on universal emotions, emphasizing the interconnectedness of our shared human experience. Central to my artistic exploration is an exploration of the fluidity of identity, memory, and the influence of societal norms. Within this introspection, my sculptures become profound reflections on the universal human yearning for love, belonging, and connection. Amidst these contemplations, my sculptures steadfastly celebrate beauty, recognizing its spiritual function in guiding us through hardship and pain. The act of channeling my inner thoughts and feelings into a physical form provides solace for me but it also offers viewers an opportunity to examine and process their own emotions through the artwork.

My preferred medium is clay because it’s a material that follows the soul. It’s a highly conversational material without words. There’s an immediacy to it and a soothing, grounding aspect to touching Earth. Clay also captivates me because it also needs to undergo a lot of transformation to arrive at its final form, which makes it the perfect material to communicate our human experience.

I have always been fascinated by the knowledge that clay has memory. With every coil, I am imbuing the clay with a record of my movements, time, memories and emotions in a tactile, nonlinguistic dialogue. The sculptures are, in a way, self portraits that document a snapshot in time. I use traditional coil, pinch and slab building techniques to build my work hollow. This technique is crucial to my process, because I am inflating the cavity of the sculpture with my emotions and thoughts, which I am able to then close up and release. This practice allows me to learn more about myself, process where I come from and what I’m going through in a detached, non-judgemental way. I plumb the depths of my subconscious to inspire others to do the same and realize how universally connected we all are.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

For someone without the traditional art background or upbringing, social media gave me a platform and voice. It’s the great equalizer and I believe it opened a lot of doors for me. I started by simply trying to authentically share my journey and works regularly on Instagram. Luckily my works and messages resonated and my audience grew organically over time. I recommend investing in professional photos whenever you can. Commit to a consistent posting schedule and don’t worry too much about how your content will perform. Some will do great, and some won’t. It’s important to not get discouraged and to stay honest and consistent. Get a tripod for your phone and record yourself working in the studio occasionally to have B-reel footage.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I would highly recommend Art/Work! It’s a must have practical guide for pursuing an art career. It helped me understand the landscape of being an artist, how the various art relationships work, and how to navigate the business and legal aspects of having a fine art career. I also highly recommend treating your art and business as professionally as you can from the beginning. I use Artwork Archive for managing my artwork inventory, contacts, and even facilitate sales. Presenting yourself professionally helps instill confidence in collectors, galleries and anyone who wants to work with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studiokieu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiokieu/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiokieu/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieut/

Image Credits

Portrait: Ashley Batz. Studio Photos: Benjamin Heath