Audrey Chan

Proposal for a Mural Dedicated to David Tran was inspired by community murals that chronicle and glorify immigrants’ pursuit of the American Dream, commemorating heroes, martyrs, and elevating the quotidian in a didactic folk vernacular. The Huey Fong freighter carried Tran and Vietnamese refugees to the U.S. in 1978 after the Vietnam War. The ship churns through a red sauce, foreshadowing his promise as an aspiring entrepreneur, but also serving as a reminder of the bloodshed and death of millions of Vietnamese during the war and the boat people who perished in transit.

Press:

“Audrey Chan’s painting, Proposal for a Mural Dedicated to David Tran, might at first seem like a simple ode to Sriracha’s Vietnamese creator and his success story. But [Steven] Wong says that once again, there’s more than meets the eye. The painting isn’t just a proposal for a mural, but a commentary on the genre of community murals as a whole. “While it honors the history of David Tran,” Wong says, “at the same time it’s analyzing and deconstructing that way of communicating history.”” —Sam Dean, NPR

​

“Audrey Chan’s proposal for a mural poses the immigrant success stories prevalent in community art in contrast with the reality of global-political discrimination and violence. Sriracha’s founder, David Tran, is depicted alongside a freighter carrying refugees across a blood-red sea.” —Annie Buckley, Artforum.com

​

“It’s that necessary courage that once again arises in Audrey Chan’s “Proposal for a mural dedicated to David Tran.” …Her work highlights the long journey Tran had made to create what is now cult culinary favorite.” —Carren Jao, KCET Artbound

​

Exhibitions:

Kuwento Engkuwentro: Angeleno Folkore, Legends & Sidewalk Stories, Pico House, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles, California, May 14-31, 2015

L.A. Heat: Taste Changing Condiments, Chinese American Museum, Los Angeles, California, curated by Steven Wong, March 13-July 12, 2014