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Title
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Lê Quang Đỉnh
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Description
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Lê Quang Đỉnh is a Vietnamese American artist originally from Hà Tiên but grew up in Los Angeles. He was born in 1968 during a period of constant political conflicts in Vietnam. It led to his family fleeing to the United States, where he committed to pursuing art. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Studio Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1989 and his Master’s in Photography and Related Media at The School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1992 (VCAD, n.d.). His art journey began early after he finished his education. Đỉnh was a creative artist who could work with various channels of art: photo-weaving, documentaries, art installations, and many more (Rice University, n.d.). His works mainly address themes surrounding his life stories: wars and conflicts, the impact that they have on him, and his struggles with self-identity. Upon witnessing the propaganda spread about Vietnam, Đỉnh created various illustrations representing his unbiased perspective of the “American War,” as it is known in Vietnam. His rearrangement of urban elements with documented stories of witnesses serves as a means to pay respect to the people and the history (Projects 93: Dinh Q. Lê 2010).
One highlight-worthy work of his is The Farmers and the Helicopters (2006). One noteworthy aspect of this installation is that it utilizes various means of media, including sculpture, video, and found objects. He created a three-channel short video encompassing snippets of beautiful scenery from his hometown, adjacent to which are short interviews of Vietnamese sharing their recollections of the war, and clips of helicopters from an American documentary on the Vietnam War. With the help of Le Van Danh, a farmer, and Tran Quoc Hai, a mechanic, Đỉnh was able to create a model of a real-life helicopter, which both amazes and terrifies the Vietnamese at the same time. Ultimately, the creators’ vision was to bring awareness to the multilayered nature of the Vietnam War and the relationship between the Vietnamese people and the helicopter, a prominent figure in the war (Museum of Modern Art, 2010).
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Alternative Title
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The Farmers and the Helicopters (2006)
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Source
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“Dinh Q. Lê.” Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University.
“Dinh Q. Lê.” VCAD
“Projects 93: Dinh Q. Lê.” Museum of Modern Art.
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Name
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Nhi Trieu
