Michael Thế Khôi Trần

Michael Thế Khôi Trần is an interdisciplinary artist who resides in Los Angeles/Orange County. He received his BFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Long Beach. Tran’s work explores how the displaced Vietnamese population used community as a tool to create a new home in Little Saigon, California. He achieves this by referencing local spaces such as supermarkets, temples, and swap meets, and how his community exists within these locations. The Asian community is often reduced to an aesthetic, such as orientalism and being a model minority. Challenging these standards, Tran injects himself into these frequently inhabited spaces wearing a traditional Vietnamese garment, Áo dài. Wearing the Áo dài in these spaces, he has reclaimed his culture and reappropriated the aesthetic standards placed upon the Asian community.