BIOGRAPHY
Jerry Truong is a multidisciplinary artist working in drawing, photography, and installation. His work centers on the enduring effects of his family’s migration from Vietnam to the United States, exploring the residuals of trauma and the complex relationship between memory and power.
Truong earned BAs in Studio Art and Psychology from the University of California, Irvine in 2006, followed by an MFA in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego in 2011. During his time at UC San Diego, he was awarded both the San Diego Fellowship and the Russell Foundation Grant. From 2012 to 2014, he served as a fellow at Hamiltonian Artists, where he exhibited in a two-person show at Hamiltonian Gallery in 2013.
He has since presented solo exhibitions at the Arlington Art Center (VA), Dittmar Memorial Gallery at Northwestern University (IL), Lycoming College Art Gallery (PA), and the Hodson Gallery at Hood College (MD). His work has also appeared in group shows at notable venues such as the Kreeger Museum (DC), CUE Art Foundation (NY), the Decker Gallery at MICA (MD), Flashpoint Gallery (DC), American University Museum (DC), BlackRock Center for the Arts (MD), and the VAALA Cultural Center (CA). In 2021, he was selected to participate in the Arts in Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Biennial in Washington, DC.
Beyond his studio practice, Truong is active within his local arts community. He was a member of the Sparkplug Collective at the DC Arts Center from 2014 to 2016 and later served as the organization’s Program Manager from 2020 to 2024. He currently maintains a studio in Kensington, MD, and teaches photography and graphic design at the College of Southern Maryland.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Raised in a small town in Northern California, I was initially drawn to the allure of the suburban American dream, unaware of the complex social and political forces shaping our lives. Eventually, I came to understand the tremendous sacrifices my parents made to secure a life in this country. They endured a harrowing escape from war-torn Vietnam on a perilous boat in 1979, marked by incredible suffering and loss.
As an artist and thinker, I consider it my duty to highlight the inequalities and injustices woven into our society. To accomplish this, I operate covertly, ensuring that my critique remains impactful without being stifled by the very systems it addresses—systems we paradoxically rely upon. Through my artwork, I aim to startle viewers with unexpected scenarios: unassuming displays of striped paintings and mannequins that conceal underlying violence, combining incense ash with charcoal as a tribute to those who have suffered like my parents and continue to face marginalization, or presenting an awe-inspiring sunset on a boat-like structure that ultimately reveals itself as a symbol of loss and mourning.
Using transformation, deception, and multiplicity as my artistic tools, I aim to compel the viewer to peel back the formal facade and contemplate profound questions about identity, memory, and history. Through my work, I offer the potential for a deeper understanding of the self and our roles within civil society. I believe there is no greater accomplishment than to be a catalyst for change, a force that breaks people out of the mundane routine of passive acceptance.