Danh Võ's Site-Exclusive Exhibition at Massimo De Carlo Milan

Danh Võ (born Bà Rịa, 1975) presents his first solo exhibition in Italy at Massimo De Carlo's Milan gallery, located in Casa Corbellini-Wassermann, a building designed by Piero Portaluppi. The show, open from September 7, 2021, features five rooms each containing a single work composed of multiple elements. Võ recovered marble scraps from a quarry in Bolzano to accentuate the space's existing marble surfaces. The exhibition includes photographic portraits of flowers from Võ's garden in Germany, prints of Michelangelo's statues, and a handwritten letter by French Catholic priest Théophane Vénard, written before his decapitation in Vietnam in the mid-19th century. The letter's calligraphy is by Võ's father, who has collaborated with the artist since 2009. Võ's practice involves collecting objects from auctions and donations, then studying and archiving them. He previously represented Denmark at the 2015 Venice Biennale and has won the Arken Art Prize, Hugo Boss Prize, and BlauOrange Prize. The exhibition has no title or press release, and many works are untitled, encouraging open interpretation. Võ emphasizes creating tension between objects, people, and spaces, allowing for multiple meanings. He cites Isamu Noguchi as a major influence, particularly his stone works. Võ's family fled Vietnam by boat in the 1970s, and displacement remains a theme in his work. He now lives in the German countryside with his partner, where he has developed a new archive of plants and flowers.