Contemporary Works of Nhat Tran of Indianapolis Take Center-Stage at Asian Lacquer International

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory Disney-Britton

“Regardless of Explanation,” a lacquer painting by Nhat Tran. Image courtesy of The Buffalo News.

NEW YORK---Indianapolis-based artist Nhat Tran will join dozens of artists and scholars from around the world at SUNY Buffalo State on Monday for a four-day symposium dedicated to the ancient art of Asian lacquer. To accompany the conference, the Burchfield Penney Art Center will host “Asian Lacquer International,” an exhibition that explores artists’ diverse uses of lacquer – an expensive resin extracted from trees found only in Asia – in decoration, painting and sculpture. While ancient art is on the schedule, a highlight of the gathering will be contemporary uses of the medium, such as the luminous, other-worldly paintings of Vietnam-born artist Nhat Tran, a two-time Creative Renewal Arts Fellow of the Arts Council of Indianapolis.