Untitled

Dinh Q. Lê explores the connections between history and memory in this photo-weaving that commemorates the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Lê and his family migrated to the United States when he was 10 years old.  He returned to Vietnam in 1997.

In Untitled, (2015), Lê adopts the traditional technique used for weaving straw mats and creates a tapestry from the woven strips of photographic prints. The work features images from the Vietnam War, interspersed with those from Renaissance paintings. The incongruity of the medieval figures within the work suggests how memory is an amalgamation of varied experiences, images, and narratives. The artist admits that his own hazy recollections of the Vietnam War have become intertwined with stories he may have read in books or seen in films. Lê’s work becomes a dialogue where disparate views of history and different cultural perspectives might then be considered.