French-Vietnamese artist Thu Van Tran presents a body of work developed over the course of a long-term studio residency in partnership between PICA, the French Embassy and North Metropolitan TAFE.  

Since February 2025, Tran has been developing a series of ceramic sculptures that respond to the environment of Western Australia. 

The project began with a series of drawings, each based on a word or an allegory of nature and life — such as Star, Breath, Spirit, Rainbow, Human Track and Song. These drawings were translated into ceramic shapes or urns; objects that traditionally hold ashes, but here are used to preserve a memory, an idea, a state of being or an experience.  

Each vessel has been shaped and transformed through the firing process, highlighting the dual role of fire as a force of both destruction and regeneration. 

With a strong focus on place and material, these works reflect on the role of fire in natural and cultural cycles and considers how human activity — including colonisation and industrialisation — continues to shape the environment.