The Wall Street Journal (in a free article for nonsubscribers!) features Memphis photographer Tam Tran, some of whose self-portraits are on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., for the exhibition "Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter."Tam Tran, a Vietnamese-born artist who immigrated to Memphis, Tenn., as a child, turns the camera on herself. Her stylized self-portraits often show her with her usual funky clothes and makeup. Some are subdued and conservative; others decidedly not. "It's a reflection on my roots, in a way," she says. "You adapt to the location you're raised in, but you also try to live up to what your parents want you to be."Among other recent accomplishments, Tran's work was selected for display in last year's Whitney Biennial expo at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan. At 23, she was the youngest artist showing in the prestigious survey of contemporary art.
PICTURED: Tam Tran, "A Doll on Your Mantel," a self-portrait featured in the 2010 Whitney Biennal.
Leave a comment