Carrying histories: Earth and fire, metaphors and metamorphosis, in the ceramic practice of Thu-Van Tran

<p>In our earliest online exchanges, leading up to our first in-person meeting in Australia, artist Thu-Van Tran tells me how she has been inspired by the ‘Coolamon’ (Wiradjuri/Wiradyuri: <em>gulaman</em>), a precious Indigenous object:</p> <blockquote><p>In Aboriginal symbology, this vessel is traditionally used to carry food or to cradle children. It’s a beautiful example of how an everyday object, seemingly modest, holds deep significance — honoring care, family and community life.</p></blockquote> <p>It’s heartening to hear that Tran, a leading French-Vietnamese contemporary artist who was born in Ho Chi Minh City and has lived and worked in Paris since a young age, is learning about Australia’s Indigenous histories, cultures and creativity during her long-term international studio residency in Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia. She has been hosted by the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), as part of its International Studio Exchange Program, during the Indigenous Noongar seasons of the first half of 2025, starting her residency in the hottest season of Bunuru (February–March), with its flowering gum trees and reddening seed cones, through to cooler, damper and breezier weather in Djeran (April–May), with its red florals and red rusted she-oak trees, and ending at the very beginnings of the coldest and wettest season of Makuru (June–July) marked by its blue and purple flowers and the influx of birds preparing to nest and breed for the remainder of the season…</p>