Tram Bui

Available Works

Tram Bui's meticulous drawings of buildings covered with scaffolding turn the mundane and overlooked into seductive lines and complex geometric patterning in vivid colors. Her dichromatic silhouettes are beautifully orchestrated, showing a talent for composition and draftsmanship. Bui's paintings subtly employ abstract tendencies through the simple grids and blocks. Yet, the building's structure and mass unexpectedly materialize. The resulting images, hard edged and spare, are a study in color and composition, though the subject is immediately identifiable and faithfully reproduced.

"My work examines the concept of building as object (a noun) and process (a verb). During construction the core is exposed while scaffolding predominates. In turn, the building transcends objectification and becomes method. Therefore the focus of my work is centered on an affinity to architectonic aspects. This systematic attribute translates as multiple layers against a ground. I feel that buildings encased in scaffolding objectify this feature. When perceiving scaffolding, I am able to see how the materials relate to and support each other. Being able to see the process by reading the substructure of buildings fascinates me not just in the development, but also in the ability to visually complete the arrangement." -Tram Bui.

• Recent Exhibitions: Structural Reference, March 2008; In Between, July 2007; New Paintings, March 2006; Natural Selection, June 2005