For his exhibition in Mudam’s Henry J. and Erna D. Leir Pavilion, artist Danh Vo (b. 1975, Bà Rja, Vietnam) continues his ongoing meditation on the work of sculptor Isamu Noguchi (b. 1904, Los Angeles – d. 1988, New York City). This new installation is composed by Vo as an intimate dialogue between his own practice and the work of this historical figure of modern art.
Noguchi’s cultural identity as a Japanese American, which found expression in a formal experimentation that crossed eastern and western cultures, resonates with formal, thematic and conceptual preoccupations around origins and cultural translation that run through Vo’s sculptural works and installations.
Considering the pavilion’s architectural features – its height and light as well as its exterior setting, the Park Dräi Eechelen – Vo has created a conceptual garden comprising a selection of Isamu Noguchi’s historic Akari lamps and a new mineral- and plant-based installation by Vo.