MoMA Museum of Modern Art

Dinh Q. Lê (Vietnamese American, b. 1968) weaves together—both literally and figuratively—personal recollections with larger histories and mythologies often related to the Vietnam War, also known as the American War in Lê’s native country. For Projects 93, Lê presents The Farmers and The Helicopters (2006), an installation comprised of a three-channel video and a helicopter hand-built from scrap parts by Le Van Danh, a farmer, and Tran Quoc Hai, a self-taught mechanic. Lê’s video interlaces the personal recollections of the war by Vietnamese locals with clips from Western films. While many of the interviewees relayed childhood memories of the horrors associated with helicopters during the war, the helicopter-makers shared their vision of this machine as a means to simplify their life and bring strength to their community. Installed in adjacent galleries, the helicopter and the video projection offer a multilayered insight into the complex relationships between the Vietnamese individuals and the charged object of the helicopter.

Organized by Klaus Biesenbach, MoMA’s Chief Curator at Large and Director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center; and Cara Starke, Assistant Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art.

The Elaine Dannheisser Projects Series is made possible in part by The Junior Associates of The Museum of Modern Art and the JA Endowment Committee.