RESEARCH REVIEW: Danh Vo, Chicxulub, White Cube
White Cubes online ‘walkthrough’ of Danh Vo’s exhibition Chicxulub begins outside with a large wooden structure set up with boxes at differing levels filled with plants. A conversation between Vo and art historian Dr. Jennifer Sliwka reveal an opening and seating that gain permission for the viewer to enter the structure. Enveloping themselves in the work, it provides an opportunity to pause, reflect and be still before entering the gallery. It seems to set the tone for what might be expected inside and gives the viewer an opportunity to focus on notions that weave between structure and nature.
Untitled (2020), Cedar wood structure and plants, 236 1/4 × 236 1/4 × 137 13/16 in. (600 × 600 × 350 cm)
But Vo surprises the viewer as they enter the gallery by plunging them into darkness. Covering the large glass entrance doors with sheets of cardboard he creates a distinct difference between outside and inside space. The result of this simple gesture forms a spectacle between light and dark, emphasised even more so by light fighting its way in through the cracks between sheets. It is as if Vo is playing with our preconceived ideas, placing the viewer in the dark after experiencing the peace and light of the previous work. The viewer may become aware that Vo is taking them on a journey where anything might be expected.
Vo is sceptical of systems whether social or political. In Western architecture, he describes cycle lanes and hand rails, for example, as forms of demarcating direction and dictating space for specific activity. Vo wants to see how the space fits for him, to embrace
Installation view
contradiction and disrupt expectations. After entering the gallery and adjusting to the dark, branches of a tree come into view that peer through an opening from one space to another. When moving through the exhibition, spaces are broken up by the use of fire stoves and the light and warmth that emanate from them rather than walls. Throughout, Vo places objects together which may encourage the viewer to make their own connections between fragments and from structure to nature. The South Gallery presents a collection of fragments and plants placed under a strong artificial light. Intentionally differing from the warmth from other parts of the gallery it could have created an uncomfortable sensation for the viewer. Vo negates this by the greenness of the plants installing instead a sense of calm.
Installation view of the South Gallery
Experienced from online the viewer can observe the generosity of space given between displays and the sense of ease and movement through them. Light and dark fill spaces creating a sense of a whole between the fragments. In the context of this exhibition, Dr. Sliwka describes the work as creating new lives, new positions and new pairings. Vo’s desire is to be economical and to continue combining gardening with sculpture. Being re-purposeful, disrupting institutional expectations and being generous with space for voices from both the viewer and the objects are evident in Danh Vo’s exhibition Chixculub.