Isabella Bortolozzi

Dahn Vo

27 Apr - 08 Jun 2007

Joe Carrier
"Boys With Fish"
Saigon Central
Fishmarket 1972
Danh Vo
Good Life

Reception: April 27th 2007, 6pm – 10pm
Duration: April 28th – June 8th 2007
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12pm – 6pm

When I saw Danh Vo’s name in the invitation to the reception for new fellows at the residency program of the Villa Aurora, I knew he was Vietnamese.
I decided straightway to go to the reception to meet him.

On arriving at the Villa the night of the reception I saw him at a distance talking very softly about his work. After the new fellows had made their presentations I went looking for food, wine, and Danh.

After getting my wine and food, I saw him sitting alone outside in the patio having a smoke. I went over and introduced myself and mentioned to him that I had spent a considerable amount of time in Vietnam-probably many years before he was born. He smiled and I immediately felt attracted to him and knew that I wanted to have some kind of close relationship. I then invited him to visit me at my nearby house and was surprised and pleased when he smiled again and said he would come the following morning.

The following morning I waited for him to come to my house somewhat apprehensively because I wasn’t sure that he would really come. I thought that maybe it was only polite reception talk and that he might not show up.

I was of course very pleased and surprised when he appeared that morning at my front door. I invited him in and I could see from his expression that he was quite excited and astonished by what he was seeing. Usually people are only moderately curious about my collection of Mexican and Asian folk art. From Danh’s reaction, however, I could see that he was not only interested in my collection of folk art but was also interested in the diversity of my photos which revealed many different aspects of my personal intimate life.

While asking questions about my art objects and photos, Danh disclosed many things about his personal life. I thus felt very comfortable responding to his direct questions about many personal details about my life and allowed him to go through my personal possessions.

The strong bond quickly established between us has already generated many unforgettable moments. Hopefully, many more will follow. The way our lives have crossed has been touched strangely by the magic of shared interests, surfacing forbidden aspects of my life and evoking Danh’s memories about a past that he had unwillingly left behind.

Joe Carrier
 

Tags: Danh Vo