Lecture by artist Binh Danh

Binh Danh, one of the artists participating in the exhibition "Reconstructing Memories," presents a lecture about his work and unusual techniques.

Born in Vietnam following that country's bloody civil war, Danh only intuitively experienced its history and memory. His parents, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 when he was still an infant, were reluctant to tell their children about the violence and hardships they experienced during the war. However, by collecting images of Vietnam and the war, Danh fabricates or reconstructs a representation of his family's possible experiences.

Using the process of photosynthesis, Danh developed a new technique in which the images are actually grown into leaves and foliage. The image becomes part of the leaf's living tissue. Like people, transient in their existence by nature and with memory imbued in their being, Danh's leaves grow, fade, lose the clarity of their memories, lose their life force, and eventually decay. To hold the leaves in suspended animation and to capture their historical memory, Danh encases them in resin, reminiscent of prehistoric insects trapped in amber.

Ticket Information
Admission is free

Event Sponsor
UHM Department of Art & Art History; Intersections Visiting Artist Program, Manoa

More Information
Sharon Tasaka, 956-6888, gallery@hawaii.edu, http://www.hawaii.edu/artgallery/

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