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| In the beautiful, somber works of Trinh Mai, we see a recurring wish to reach out, to embrace, to connect and find comfort. This yearning for meaningful contact may derive from the sense of split identity that is so often a part of the immigrant story. Though Ms. Mai was raised in the Bay Area and is in her final semester at San Jose State University, her art -- restrained, sophisticated and powerful -- is strongly indebted to her Vietnamese heritage. Her parents, driven from their home by the Fall of Saigon, settled in Pennslyvania, where Mai was born. They resettled in California before her first birthday. Her artistic leanings emerged from the moment she grasped her first crayon. |
 | Abundance: This is the hallmark of the artist's style. It is a canvas of feeling rather than narrative. Five seeds lay shallowly buried, swollen, in waiting. One member of this pentad has already embraced its mission and is pushing out towards the sunlight, glowing red with passion. It is literally overrunning its boundaries, bleeding crimson into the space outside the painting. In its germinated state, it reminds the others that we cannot achieve happiness as solo beings, but need to risk deep connection to fulfill us. |
| Considering The Beam In Our Own Eyes |  |
 | Remember: Connection is an important theme in Mai's work shows a connection successfully made and an ideal to strive for. This captures a tender moment in family life, but could also represent a goal for two cultures brought into contact. With this painting, the artist leaves us feeling hopeful and shows the American Dream is intact and universal. |
| In Need: Two barely recognizable female forms. The central figure cannot muster the courage to reach out and connect more deeply with the world around her. In frustration, she severs her own arm, creating a violent streak of red. This is the price of missed connection in Mai's world. The thin figure on the right longs to move closer to the center, but cannot do so without assistance. The artist's forceful brushstrokes in vibrant colors bring out the importance of deep connection in a way that words cannot capture. |  |
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