Binh Danh

I visited the Binh Danh exhibit with my freshman forum class. I have never appreciated art as much as some and thought originally that i would be bored out of my mind as my classmates and I walked the exhibit. I instead found myself examing every work with intense interest. I found that the works blended my interest of history and politics with art and manner in which it was presented was moving. The "One Week's Dead" exhibit was a moving tribute to those lost as a result of American involvement in Vietnam. This exhibit makes me think of what art could come from our current involvement in the Middle East. If Binh Danh can be this creative in portraying the war in Vietnam then i hope someone can move people the same way Binh Danh did with an exhibit portraying the war in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Sontag's article and Binh Danh's exhibit are similar in many ways. Sontag wrote that in some cultures the people don't want their picture to be taken because they feel that something is taking from them in order to put their face in a picture. They believe that a piece of their soul is taken with every flash of the camera. The Binh Danh exhibit shows that a piece of someone is taken when a picture is taken but it is by no means a negative process. A piece of these young men in the exhibit exist in their representation by Binh Danh and it allows us to see what they did. It allows us to see the sacrifice that was given up to protect what we hold dear and the freedoms we often take for granted. A piece of these men exists in these photos and everyone should see this exhibit to see what was given up for their protection.