Thu-Van Tran (b. 1979, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; lives and works in Paris)

In the Fall, in the Rise (2017 - 2025)

In the Fall, in the Rise is a series of photograms that reveal imprints of leaves of the Pará rubber tree onto photosensitive paper through direct light exposure. With this work, Tran addresses one of the major economic links between France and Vietnam during the 20th century: the intensive cultivation of the rubber tree introduced from Amazonia when the first seed was brought by a French sailor. While it became a lucrative natural resource, it also led to the occupation of the majority of fertile land by French settlers. In the Fall, in the Rise reflects on the intertwined histories of commerce, colonization, and environmental transformation.

Échange de présents (2016)

Thu-Van Tran engages in Échange de présents with both the material and symbolism of rubber to expose the bitter irony behind the colonial notion of a “benevolent exchange.” The title, translating to “Exchange of Gifts,” critiques the way colonial histories are written from the perspective of the occupying power. Through her use of rubber, Tran illuminates how Western narratives have shaped and imposed interpretations of colonized populations, exposing the tensions between material, memory, and historical representation. Her work reveals the deep entanglement of power, commerce, and cultural perception in the writing of history.

Si rien ne sort d’ici (2018)

Shot using 16 mm film alongside footage captured with an iPhone and a drone, the scenes were filmed in Asia and in a foundry in France. Divided into four sequences, the film by Thu-Van Tran unfolds as a series of 4 scenes of deliverance. The first evokes the birth of language as letters freed from plaster molds form the phrase “if nothing comes out of here.” Hands strike the molds, releasing the letters in a symbolic struggle for language to emerge from matter. The second follows Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong reclaiming public space on their day off. Their silent rest becomes a quiet act of resistance, a fragile yet powerful gesture of freedom. The third shows a volcanic eruption, the earth releasing its anger in a burst of raw energy, a vision of nature’s own deliverance. In the final sequence, a child strikes water with a piece of wood, and a rainbow appears — a moment of beauty and renewal. Together, these scenes form an ode to freedom: of language, of the body, of matter, and of light.

Thu-Van Tran (b. 1979, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) works across sculpture, installation, photography, film, and drawing, grounding her practice in the perspective of a cultural outsider—a Vietnamese woman living in France. Her work addresses displacement and colonial history, questions that remain acutely relevant today. Drawing on literature, history, and architecture, Tran investigates the entanglements of contamination, identity, and language. Through malleable materials that lend themselves to imprint, transfer, dilution, and transformation, she sets language into motion and opens up a critical mobility of history.

Major solo exhibitions include MAMAC, Nice (2023); Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel (2020); and Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin (2016). Select group exhibitions include Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, Paris (2023); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2023); 58th Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (2023); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2020); and the 57th Venice Biennale International Exhibition at The Arsenale (2017). Her artworks are featured in the collections of the Pinault Collection (France); Fondation Louis Vuitton (France); Musée national d’Art moderne - Centre Georges-Pompidou (France); Fondation Kadist (France / United States); and Louvre Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), among others.

Meessen is a contemporary art gallery in Brussels, founded in 2008, with a focus on intellectually engaging and conceptual art. It represents around 20 international artists across disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography, and video. The gallery has organized over 130 solo exhibitions and 15 group shows, often launching first monographs for emerging artists. Beyond its active local program, Meessen collaborates with museums worldwide and has participated in major art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze New York, and FIAC Paris.