Discover Danh Vo's Thought-Provoking Conceptual Art and Installations at Secession

This exhibition explores the conceptual works and installations of artist Danh Vo, who uses personal experiences to examine broader historical, social, and political themes. The show features a rich array of artistic elements, including photographs, found objects, and calligraphic texts, reflecting on the intersection of history and identity.

Danh Vo's exhibition delves into the artist's practice of using personal life experiences to explore overarching historical, social, and political themes. Vo, born in Vietnam and raised in Denmark, is fascinated by the intricate connections between objects, history, and their role as projections of national anxieties and personal identities. Recurring themes in his work include the power dynamics of colonialism and the ways administrative systems attempt to shape, and sometimes restrict, personal intimacy and expression. His installations are characterized by a diverse collection of artistic elements, such as photographs, found objects imbued with historical or emotional significance, document fragments, and calligraphic texts produced by his father. Vo's multifaceted role as a curator, collector, historian, and auction scout allows him to skillfully manipulate objects and their contexts, continually reactivating their meanings from project to project. He often presents artifacts from significant figures or other sources either in their original state or disassembled and reassembled into striking hybrids with various additions. Since 2015, his work has also incorporated fragments of ancient sculptures alongside contemporary objects and medieval Madonnas, sometimes altering the original works irreversibly—an act of cultural vandalism that reflects on colonization and provocatively links empires and colonies across time and space. Vo's work conveys a strong political and ethical stance without being didactic. The artist probes questions of identity and belonging, legal status, ownership, and the significance of personal relationships. Through his art, he illuminates the power structures that lie behind the facades of liberal societies and the inherent fragility of our conceptions of life within a nation-state. His most recognized work, 'We the People' (2011–2016), a replica of Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty composed of approximately 300 individual copper segments, exemplifies this approach by scattering these pieces globally rather than reassembling them into a single monument.

Information about tickets can be found via a provided link to the Secession shop. Specific admission details beyond that are not detailed on this page, but the exhibition is presented by the Secession, implying standard museum entry or event-specific ticketing applies. Visitors are directed to a separate link for purchasing tickets.