Small Wars (Rescue)
Artist
An-My Lê
(American, born Vietnam, 1960)
Date1999-2002
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage and sheet: 26 1/4 × 37 1/2 inches (66.68 × 95.25 cm)
Framed: 26 3/4 × 38 1/4 inches (67.95 × 97.16 cm)
Framed: 26 3/4 × 38 1/4 inches (67.95 × 97.16 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation
Object number2009.71.11
On View
Not on viewCollections
Terms
Between 1999 and 2002, An-My Lê photographed a group of Vietnam War reenactors based in Virginia. To gain access, Lê became a participant. She played both civilian and Vietnamese military characters. This experience caused the artist great personal strain but also helped her understand the myths and realities of the Vietnam War that remain so entrenched in American culture.
Born in Vietnam, Lê fled with her family to the United States during the fall of Saigon and eventually became an American citizen. Her pictures, which are documents of staged events, challenge us to rethink uncritical interpretations of classic war photography and its role in shaping our collective (and complicated) cultural memories.
Copyright© An-My Lê
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