Binh Danh Exibit

The theme of justice is heavily prevalent in Binh Danh's exhibit; his works give honor and justice to the men who died in Vietnam. The exhibit helps us to justify and accept the way in which so many men died during Vietnam. It gives a creative explanation of what happened to all the men's bodies which were left in the battle fields and the jungle. Through Binh Danh's unique combination of photographs and nature, a story is told about each soldier whose faint ghost is imprinted into the foliage. There is an strong essence of dignity within the faces of each man. The grass and leaves represent the grave where the men's bodies rest. There bodies are not lost, but have a home in the landscape.

Danh's exhibit can also be viewed as a reflection of our current war. Men and women will die during our war with Iraq and many bodies may be left behind to rest in the landscape just like many during Vietnam. Casualties are inevitable, but it is our job to remember and give justice to those lost. Binh Danh does so in a creative way.

Sontage views photograph as much more real then a painting. They are "a trace, something directly stenciled off the real" (350). Danh's use of photograph makes the people in his work more real. It gives you a higher connection with the men lost in Vietnam. Although you may not have a name or know them personally, they have a face which is a way to connect you with their spirit. "But what photography supplies is not only a record of the past but a new way of dealing with the present" (358). Danh's art not only connects us with the past Vietnam war, but also the current war with Iraq. We will lose people in Iraq war and some bodies may not be recovered, but we must strive to remember them. We will remember then in the same way which we remember lost men from Vietnam.