Provenance
Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin
Catalogue Essay
Danh Vo’s art powerfully bridges his own very personal experiences of migration and cultural displacement, with universal issues concerning colonialism, politics and the effects of global exportation and importation not just of commodities but of ideas and popular culture.

Born on the evacuee island of Phu Quoc in 1975, Vo’s early life was shaped by his parents’ failed attempt to emigrate to the United States, their consequent relocation to Denmark and his own decisive move to Frankfurt, Berlin, Basel and later, Los Angeles in pursue of his artistic career. What captured Vo throughout his travels, was the ability to connect with people on a cultural basis – exploring their preconceptions or knowledge on cultures geographically far from their own. Just as his parents had perceived America to be the land of promise and fortune, many people he came across had formed views of Vietnam or Asian cultures through their exposure to media, information, products, and other channels of communication. Thus, in Vo’s works certain prominent symbols or iconic images constantly reappear.

The subtle manner in which Vo juxtaposes these elevated symbols with common disposable materials, creates an interesting dialogue that challenges the hierarchy deemed between ‘low culture’ and ‘high culture’. In this context, Flag is an unequivocal illustration of Vo’s group of works on this subject. Using consumer packaging from Vietnam to form the basis of this work, Vo applies gold leaf to the surface to create his pictures, thus the disparity between the disposable manufactured cardboard and the precious material is vigorously exposed. It is through this contradiction that Vo visualises the conflict between the idealisation of the money-making and commoditised life of the West, with the reality of its manufacture and reliance on the exploitation of resources in distant countries. Alternatively, what Vo does in this work by using gold leaf, is bring to light the transformation of South Asia’s traditions and industries where gold leaf was originally used to imbue certain objects with a sacred sanctity. Now, their trade has become reliant on the cheap production of disposable goods – providing to supply the needs of a consumer-orientated West.

Inverting values as he does, Vo decisively broadens the Eurocentric gaze. Therefore, the power of Vo’s artistic oeuvre, of which Flag is a prominent example, arises out of his ability to synthesise pertinent contemporary issues whilst maintaining a simplicity and clarity in vision that saturates all his works with visual appeal.

Δ23

Danh Vo

VJ Star

2010
gold leaf on cardboard
95 x 151 cm (37 3/8 x 59 1/2 in.)

Estimate
£500,000 - 700,000 ‡♠

Sold for £602,500

Contact Specialist
Peter Sumner
Head of Contemporary Art, London
psumner@phillips.com
+44 207 318 4063

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London 14 October 2015 7pm

1
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Blue Eyes Brown Hanging Perforated Mark M3.d)
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡
Sold for £116,500
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2
Rosemarie Trockel
Study for Old Friend
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡♠
Sold for £200,500
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3
Peter Doig
Bird House
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
Sold for £242,500
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4
Richard Prince
Untitled (Cowboy)
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ‡
Sold for £602,500
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5
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Three-Tiered Perspective)
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ‡
Sold for £842,500
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6
Christopher Wool
Untitled
Estimate £1,500,000 - 2,500,000 ‡
Sold for £2,266,500
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7
Christopher Wool
Untitled (Jazz death)
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ‡
Sold for £1,314,500
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8
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ‡♠
Sold for £1,930,500
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9
Yoshitomo Nara
Missing in Action
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ‡
Sold for £1,986,500
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10
Anish Kapoor
Untitled
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡♠
Sold for £458,500
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11
Keith Haring
Untitled
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £218,500
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12
Keith Haring
Untitled (Head Stand)
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £482,500
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13
John Baldessari
Two Dogs and Two Aliens
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £266,500
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14
Ed Ruscha
Pneumatic Muscles Hydraulic Smiles
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡
Sold for £386,500
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15
George Condo
Stranger on a Plane
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £194,500
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16
Albert Oehlen
Omegasachen-35
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £302,500
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17
Damien Hirst
Aminobenzoyl Hydrazide
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £362,500
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18
Alighiero Boetti
Alternandosi e Dividendosi
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £302,500
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19
Lucio Fontana
Concetto Spaziale, Attese
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ♠
Sold for £1,314,500
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20
Cy Twombly
Untitled
Estimate £8,000,000 - 12,000,000 ‡
Sold for £7,922,500
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21
Mark Bradford
Constitution IV
Estimate £2,000,000 - 3,000,000 ‡
Sold for £3,778,500
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22
Tauba Auerbach
Untitled (Fold)
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ‡
Sold for £1,426,500
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23
Danh Vo
VJ Star
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ‡♠
Sold for £602,500
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24
Richard Prince
Untitled (Couples)
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £152,500
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25
Urs Fischer
Horse Fraud
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £362,500
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26
Cory Arcangel
Photoshop CS: 110 by 72 inches, 300 DPI, RGB, square pixels, default gradient "Russell's Rainbow" (turn transparency off), mousedown y=25300 x=17600, mouse up y=4300 x=17600
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000
Sold for £158,500
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27
Yayoi Kusama
Infinity-Nets (OPARHJ)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £530,500
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28
Sterling Ruby
SP60
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000
Sold for £482,500
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29
Josef Albers
Homage to the Square: Wide Sight (study)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £338,500
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30
Neo Rauch
Die Lage
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £866,500
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31
Anselm Kiefer
The Secret Life of Plants
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £362,500
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32
Anselm Kiefer
Paete non Dolet
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
Sold for £218,500
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33
Antony Gormley
Domain XV
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £218,500
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34
This lot is no longer available.
35
Jonas Wood
D.J.
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £62,500
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36
Richard Prince
Untitled (portrait)
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £98,500
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37
KAWS
Snoopy: Red Baron
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £128,500
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Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London 14 October 2015 7pm

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Provenance

Catalogue Essay

Δ23

Danh Vo

VJ Star

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

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