Mai-Hien Tran

Bio
MH Tran (Mai-Hien Tran), is a contemporary artist based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Through abstract impressionist interpretations of floral and landscape motifs, her work explores themes of belonging and individualism. Her works are recognizable through dynamic brushwork created by action painting method, conveying movement, emotion, and spontaneity. In addition to traditional oil and acrylic painting, Tran incorporates rich textures and unconventional materials, like origami paper, plexiglass, and modeling paste, to create depth, movement, and dimensional presence within her compositions.
Tran is an active member of both state and local arts organizations, and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at:

• Crossroads Art Center — Richmond, USA (September 2025–present), one of the largest brick-and-mortar galleries in the United States
• BWI Gateway Gallery — “The Story of Us” exhibition, selected by the Anne Arundel County Arts Council (March–July 2026)
• MONAT Gallery — Madrid, Spain (June 2026)
• MONAT Gallery Art Fair — Marbella, Spain (July–August 2026)

Artist Statement
The questions of what defines a human being and where we truly belong have become the central pursuit of my artistic practice.
Born and raised in Vietnam, educated in Italy, and having built my life in the United States, I have lived between cultures, languages, and ways of seeing the world. These experiences have expanded my understanding of identity while also creating a persistent sense of existing between places—feeling both connected and disconnected, at home and yet somehow outside of it.
Alongside this search for belonging is another question that continues to haunt me: what truly defines a person? Throughout my life, I have inhabited many roles—woman, mother, professional, artist—but none of them, individually, feel capable of containing the full complexity of human existence. The realization that no single label can define us has become a source of both uncertainty and liberation. I paint to explore that space of freedom, where identity remains fluid and open to possibility.
At its core, my practice is guided by freedom of expression and philosophical inquiry. Through action painting and mixed-media processes, I build compositions through dynamic brushwork, layered textures, and intuitive material exploration. Rather than imposing a predetermined image, I allow the work to emerge gradually, revealing its own direction as forms, colors, and materials interact and evolve.
The resulting paintings become visual dialogues between simplicity and complexity, chaos and tranquility, presence and absence. They reflect both the collective rhythms of society and the deeply personal search for meaning, identity, and belonging. Ultimately, my work invites viewers into a space beyond fixed definitions—a space where uncertainty is embraced, individuality is celebrated, and new ways of belonging can be imagined.

Website: mhtran.art

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maihien.art