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Helen Tran

Artist member since 2021
Mississauga, Ontario

Born and raised in Vietnam, Helen Tran has always been naturally drawn towards creating art as a young girl. Her first watercolour booklet of Disney characters aspired her to paint. She soon later found her passion for the uniqueness of Printmaking. Tran pursue her education in Visual and Creative Arts at Sheridan College, Oakville, Canada and holds a BFA in Printmaking & Publications with a second focus in Photography. She has exhibited her work at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, The Japanese Paper Place, TOAF61 and Visual Arts Mississauga (VAM). Tran currently is working as an archivist assistant and artist member at the Open Studio Contemporary Printmaking Centre in Toronto. Tran is well-versed in many printing techniques; including lithography, relief, silkscreen, and intaglio. Nevertheless, she enjoys working with the versatility of lithography and bookmaking in her spare time. When she is not making prints, she enjoys adventuring outdoors with her 35mm analog film camera, watercolour painting, tapestry and creative writing. She is currently working on several linocut series of botanical imagery, along with cyanotype processes at her home studio.

For more of her work, visit www.helenart.ca and @helen.artsy on Instagram.


Work


Q+A

Everyone should know about

I would say my work appeals to a sense of ephemerality, painterly, and centralized on ancestral culture. I am a bit of a washi enthusiastic and like working with (chine-collé) layering papers.

What artists do you admire right now?

My favourite artist right now who works with cyanotype and encaustic that inspires my current work is Erika Lujano. Her work takes on a unique approach to photography and encaustic painting.

Favourite medium

One of my favourite mediums to work with would be lithography because of its versatile process and openness to experimentation. The outcome of a lithographic print can go many directions, and you could work with either photo-litho or the traditional stone litho for a different effect.

When did you start making art, and why?

I think I was naturally drawn to art when I was five years old. I started drawing and creating art when I was young, and my fondest memory was creating pop-up greeting cards for my family. Making art for me was a way for self-expression and sharing my culture and creativity through the art community.

When I'm not making art, I'm (a) ...

When I'm not making prints, I enjoy adventuring outdoors with my 35mm analog film camera, taking outdoor landscape photographs to get some inspiration or watercolour painting, tapestry and creative writing. I would be outside planting herbs or flowers and enjoying my garden.

Favourite book

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Soucouyant by David Chariandy, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous & Time is Mother by Ocean Vuong

Upcoming Exhibitions
2024-04-16

Mississauga, ON, Canada
LAC Artist Resident Exhibition

Select Past Exhibitions
2023

Gallery 44
"Blue"

2023

Toronto, Canada
PARALINE - Shoesoffcollective | Group Exhibition

2023

Mississauga, ON, Canada
Flourish Exhibition | Mississauga Visual Arts

2023

OCAD University, Toronto, ON
"What the Thunder Says"

2022

Etobicoke, ON, Canada
Longevity Exhibition | Japanese Paper Place

2022

Toronto, Canada
TOAF: Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Online Exhibition

2022

The Great Hall, OCAD U, Toronto, Canada
Blueprint Exhibition

2022

Toronto, Canada
CGAC 5th Digital Exhibition : FLORALS? FOR SPRING?

2021

Propeller Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Off The Wall

2021

FLORALS, group exhibition
John B. Aird Gallery

2021

Metro Toronto Convention Centre
6 /Edition

2021

Art Gallery of Mississauga
Juried Show of Fine Arts

2021

Propeller Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Layers of Meaning: International Encaustic Exhibition

2021

Meaford, ON, Canada
Second Nature, group exhibition

2021

GradEx 106: Graduate Exhibition, OCAD University, Toronto
"If Not Here, Then Where?"

2020

Open Studio, Toronto
Murmuración

2020

Propeller Gallery, Toronto
Off The Screen

2019

OCADU Great Hall, Toronto
Artist Alley

2018

The Beguiling, Toronto
"Stuck" Zine Launch

Accolades
2023

OCAD University
St. George's Society of Toronto Bursary in Art & Design in Honour of Rosalie Sharp

2021

OCAD University
Nora E. Vaughan Award

2021

OCAD University
Printmaking Award

2021

OCAD University
Printmaking Medal Winner

2020

OCAD University
Don Watt Scholarship

Press
2023

Partial Gallery Curated Collection
Nature’s Wonders

2023

TOAF61 Curated Collection
A Sense of Flourishing

2022

Fête Chinoise
Magazine EDITION N0.7 : Perspective

2022

Artasiam Gallery
Storification Through Art : An Artist Interview

2022

Partial Gallery
Featured on Partial Gallery social media

2022

Toronto Thrive
Featured on Instagram social

2021

Artscapeto
Asian Heritage Month Feature

2021

The Gathered Gallery
The Class of 2021 Feature

Residencies
2023

Mississauga, ON, Canada
Living Arts Centre Artist Resident

Education
2021

OCAD University
BFA, Printmaking & Publication, Photography minor

2017

Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Diploma, Visual and Creative Art

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