GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In his practice of appropriation, deconstruction, and reconfiguration, Danh Vo considers quotidian objects to be witnesses to narratives of both personal and global significance. Drawing on the tradition of the readymade, Vo recontextualizes these objects, referencing both his personal history as a Vietnamese émigré and the transnational legacies of colonialism, capitalism, displacement, and immigration.
In this work, Vo presents fragments of two chairs that furnished the White House Cabinet Room during the Kennedy administration. The chairs, once occupied by President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, were acquired by Vo in an auction of McNamara’s possessions. McNamara, who served under both Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, played a decisive role in pursuing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In stripping the chairs of their leather upholstery and interior lining, Vo renders them nonfunctional and unidentifiable. The resulting fragments, rid of any recognizable significance, raise questions about the subjective nature of historical truth and the erosion of collective memory.
Excerpt from
- Anna Katherine Brodbeck, ed., TWO X TWO X TWENTY: Two Decades Supporting Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art), 2018, 224.
NOTES
Did not get object file- streamlined process, no provenance. CLC, 12/4/18.
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WEB RESOURCES
- The Guggenheim~Explore essays, video, audio, press coverage, blog entries, and photographs related to the 2018 exhibition Danh Vo: Take My Breath Away.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica~Review Robert McNamara's involvement in the Vietnam War and role in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
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Apply to objects where number equals 2014.12
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General Description
In his practice of appropriation, deconstruction, and reconfiguration, Danh Vo considers quotidian objects to be witnesses to narratives of both personal and global significance. Drawing on the tradition of the readymade, Vo recontextualizes these objects, referencing both his personal history as a Vietnamese émigré and the transnational legacies of colonialism, capitalism, displacement, and immigration.
In this work, Vo presents fragments of two chairs that furnished the White House Cabinet Room during the Kennedy administration. The chairs, once occupied by President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, were acquired by Vo in an auction of McNamara’s possessions. McNamara, who served under both Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, played a decisive role in pursuing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In stripping the chairs of their leather upholstery and interior lining, Vo renders them nonfunctional and unidentifiable. The resulting fragments, rid of any recognizable significance, raise questions about the subjective nature of historical truth and the erosion of collective memory.
Excerpt from
- Anna Katherine Brodbeck, ed., TWO X TWO X TWENTY: Two Decades Supporting Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art), 2018, 224.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- The Guggenheim~Explore essays, video, audio, press coverage, blog entries, and photographs related to the 2018 exhibition Danh Vo: Take My Breath Away.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica~Review Robert McNamara's involvement in the Vietnam War and role in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
Notes
Did not get object file- streamlined process, no provenance. CLC, 12/4/18.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
2014.12
source file
object_notes_1_b-0142.xml.nores