Kim Tran
“ Portraiture of Ladies”
Description
“Portraiture of Ladies”
2021
24” x 24”
Mixed Media Collage
‘Portraiture of Ladies’ by Kim Tran begins at the title, a title which is a “play on words, as this scene is from the movie Portrait of a Lady on Fire, however, it involves both Marianne and Héloïse, not only Héloïse,” according to the artist.
Kim describes the piece, saying, “As I mimicked their dress’s ruffles with tissue, I could almost feel what it was like to be in that moment of pleading and grasping onto one another. To capture the movement of their hair, I used different media for each of them as I saw fit. The frantic gestural drawing I use for Marianne speaks to her traits versus Héloïse, who is rather composed. Her golden hair tangles into Marianne’s fingers. The two are divided, fractured, yet close, and so the composition and use of materials in this piece are raw and seemingly perfect as they are in this moment.”
This piece by Kim Tran rings prominent in the time of COVID-19, where storytelling and ephemerality are more important and prevalent than ever.
Artist Statement
“Kim Tran (they/any) is 20 years old, majoring in Child Studies and Human Development and Studio Art. Their main medium is collage because of the versatility of multiple materials. Wanting to re-use materials instead of wasting it, they are exploring ways to incorporate packaging and disposable masks in their work.
Their favorite works tend to be about the LGBTQ+ community and their place in it, with their favorite works attributed to shining light on the human rights. As a non-binary person in Student Government Association and its increased anti-racist efforts, much of their coursework involves social justice and activism which in turn influences their artwork, wanting to bring awareness to underrepresented communities.”
- Kim Tran
Pandemic and Practice
“More than ever, my creative abilities are impacted by the spaces in which I'm able to use to create and abilities to create are impacted by financial costs of COVID to purchase certain materials.”
- Kim Tran