Emilie Bich Ngoc

Emilie Tran was born in Vénissieux on January 21, 1986, to Vietnamese parents. They left their country during the Vietnam War. She grew up in a relatively modest family in Corbas, in the Lyon countryside.

She currently lives between Annecy, Paris and Lyon.

Emilie began drawing and painting at a very early age at the age of 10, undoubtedly influenced by the work of her great-grandfather, a master calligrapher. Her artistic debut coincided with a period of mourning for her grandfather, to whom she was extremely close. It was likely at this time that her passion for drawing and painting was awakened. A true autodidact, she spent most of her time studying instructional books on dry pastel and watercolor.

Despite her rather classical studies, Emilie continued to paint in her free time, encouraged by her parents. Painting quickly became a necessity, and her thirst for learning grew. She immersed herself in the works of great masters such as Claude Monet, Vassily Kandinsky, Pierre Soulages, Joan Mitchell, and Zao Wou-Ki. It was only natural for her to abandon figurative painting for lyrical abstraction.

Emilie explores her duality in painting. Born in France, of Vietnamese origin, she feels both present and nowhere.

Currently, her work focuses on the journey and life of exile. She regularly talks with her 92-year-old grandmother. She is committed to capturing images of her life: her birth, her time in Indochina, her life during wartime and under occupation, and her exile to France.