- 2
Danh Vo
Description
- Danh Vo
- Numbers (9)
- signed and titled on the reverse
- gold leaf on unfolded cardboard box
- 190 by 79.5cm.; 74 3/4 by 31 1/4 in.
- Executed in 2011.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Martin Herbert, 'Danh Vo' in: Max Andrews, Steven Cairns, Chris Fite-Wassilak, et al., Frieze Art Fair: London 2013, 2013, n.p.
Danh Vo is an artist whose personal history is inextricable from his work. Born in Vietnam in 1975, the year that marked the end of the American War, his family became victims of the Cambodian-Vietnamese conflict that broke out immediately
afterwards. Fleeing the country by sea, when the artist was four, with hopes of reaching America, his family ultimately settled in Denmark. Vo’s conceptual oeuvre is filled with themes of displaced identity, immigration, colonisation and global communication.
Numbers (9) is a two metre vision of shimmering gold leaf with the figure ‘9’ stamped out of the middle, to reveal an unfolded cardboard box beneath. The present work creates a dialogue between fine art and everyday throwaway material. To create these works, Vo collects used consumer packaging from Vietnam and applies gold leaf to the surface. The mixture between the gold leaf and the consumer goods packaging also serves to heighten the idealisation of the commercial and commoditised life in the West.
Much like the Alphabet series produced a year earlier, which is a reference to the Bowditch alphabet, the number nine can be seen as the introduction and useage of the Arabic Number system into everyday life. This numeric system is the most common representation in the world today. Like the use of the Bowditch alphabet, the numbers are a statement on a more globalised world in constant communication.