Tran Nguyen | My Favorite MAOI

Tran not only creates beautiful work, she is equally stunning inside and out. This is the last weekend (well today really, Saturday March 15) to see the “New Works” show at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City. NY artist Erik Jones and GA artist Tran Nguyen are showing in the main room, while Miami artist Alex Yanes takes over the project room. My favorite show of the year; there is a stunning balance of composition, beauty, and colorful fun through out the gallery. Erik Jones work connects Tran’s soft and ethereal pieces to Alex’s bold and chunky installation, although in separate rooms the entire gallery feels like a cohesive curated piece.

Here is a quick interview I did with Tran about the show, make sure to check it our before it comes down on March 22, 2014.

MAOI: How would one phonetically pronounce your name? Or would you like to give MAOI readers a special way/nickname to address you with?

TN: My first name is pronounced “tron” like the movie and my family name is “wen”. In summation, “tron wen”.

MAOI: How do you take your coffee or tea?

TN: I recently made the transition from coffee to tea for health reasons. I like it simple with no additives and blazing Godzilla hot.

MAOI: Did you have a “F**k yeah, that’s amazing” moment while creating this series? (modesty is over-rated)

TN: Yes — when I was creating “Living In a Forgotten Fissure I”.

MAOI: What was playing in the background while you were creating this recent body of work; music, Netflix, other?

TN: Ted Talks, The Amazing Race, artist podcasts, and a lot of music.

MAOI: What do you really like or admire about the work of the other artists your showing with at Thinkspace Saturday March 1, 2014.

TN: Erik’s and Alex’s works are incredible on their own, but I find it amazing how we all complement each other so well, with each bringing their own creative innovation. Erik’s is colorful like Alex’s while my work is figurative like Erik’s, and so on.

Check out Tran’s first interview with My Favorite MAOI here.

Name: Tran ( pronounced Tron) Nguyen
Nickname: Mega-Tran, Voltran, Tranny
Sign: Capricorn

Favorite Superhero,Color,Season: Mom & dad, Turquoise, Autumn

Q1. How many times have you been pulled over? And why?
A1. Once. I ran passed a “Do Not Enter” sign at school so campus security pulled me over and started scolding me. I almost cried.

Q2. What animal is your spirit guide?
A2. People say I act like a bunny…so I guess, a bunny? I’d much rather prefer a ferocious mountain lion or an ass-kicking wallaby.

Q3. What’s your vice?
A3. I love burnt food, especially burnt honey-roasted ham. The blacker, the better…mmm…carcinogenic food.

Q4. If you could live in a movie for a day, which movie would it be? Would you be yourself or another character?
A4. John Nash from A Beautiful Mind — So I can see how it feels to be so smart yet so insane and what courage it took to overcome it.

Q5. If your art was an ice cream flavor which one would it be?
A5. The non-diary kind because I’m somewhat lactose intolerant. Melancholic Mango Sorbet.

Q6. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
A6. Unfortunately no, my real friends wouldn’t leave me alone.

Q7. Personal Quote?
A7. “Well, it could be worse.”

Q8. Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiac signs?
A8. Not really, I’ll flip to the back of a magazine to read it but mainly for entertainment purposes.

Q9. Do you drink coffee? If so how many cups a day?
A9. I try to keep it at a maximum of one a day + 5 cups of green tea.

Q10. Best show you have ever been too?
A10. Technically, it’s not a show but I would have to say my dad’s Naturalization Oath Ceremony. Twenty years ago, we came to the U.S. without anything – money, clothes, or a home. Now, after all his sweat and tears, my brothers and I have everything we ever needed and more. To him, the naturalization certificate embodied the years of us having nothing to everything. Yes, my dad (and mom) is pretty kick-ass.