The art of Danh Vo

Topic: The art of Danh Vo Student name: Lee Ching Chi (Billy) Student number: 60170220 The artistic practice of Danh Vo is fundamentally crafted by his history of being a political refugee, an experience that granted him a unique and critical perspective on the forces of authority. Danh was born in Vietnam in 1975, right as the Vietnam War was ending, with the fall of Saigon and the communist victory over Vietnam. Under harsh political conditions, Danh and his family fled the country alongside other South Vietnamese refugees by boat when he was just four years old. They were rescued by a Danish container ship, the Rasmussen—a name that would later become a recurring motif in his work. Danh has seen promises made by politicians not being fulfilled in his home country, and furthermore more he heard stories of the treatment of political prisoners in Vietnam after the war, which instilled profound skepticism in him towards grand narratives, whether they be of nationalism, colonialism, or p...