Mixed media: copper, buffalo horn, snail, cow leather. Dimensions variable.

Statement

In the war time, my father and my uncles had to cut off their own forefingers so that they would be exempted from military duties. That is where the idea for this series originated. My family’s experience taught me that the Vietnamese war was not run by any ideology, but by the power of surplus values, by money. This idea was the founding concept for my series. I created some kind of luxurious funiture, while, simultaneously, making them look like dead animals. The forefinger is thus the symbol of both power and killing.
Artwork that was part of exhibition Miền Méo Miệng curated by Trần Lương and organized by Bildmuseet.