Danh Vō's conceptual artworks and installations often draw upon elements of autobiography and collective experience to explore broader historical, social or political themes relating to migration, identification and authorial status. Born in 1975, the year that marked the end of the American Vietnam War, Vō's family became victims of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War that broke out immediately afterwards. They fled the country by boat when Vō was four years old; he has no memories of his early childhood in Vietnam. The vessel was rescued at sea by a Danish freighter, the nationality of which determined the fate of the refugees—the ramifications of this fortuitous encounter are reflected in the role that chance and coincidence continue to play in Vō's practice. His work frequently incorporates documents, photographs, found objects (with emotional or historical significance), lettering or appropriations of works by other artists or designers, which have accrued meaning over time, through transfer of ownership or shifting social or cultural contexts. He is particularly interested in the discrepancies between myth and reality, between the past and the present, and between the malleable identities and histories imposed on him by others as well as those that he creates for himself.
Press release courtesy Xavier Hufkens.
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