Portrait of a hand

The photogravure Portrait of a hand depicts Danh Vo’s grandmother posing for a photograph. The title of the work directs the viewer’s attention to the woman’s left hand hanging from the armrest. Danh Vo often uses family photographs for his photogravure projects, embedding his own family’s biography in a wider historical context. Following the 1975 fall of Saigon to North-Vietnamese forces, the new communist regime initiated reeducation programs and force relocations, which lead many Vietnamese citizens to leave the country. Vo’s family escaped on a self-built boat, which was intercepted by a Danish shipping freighter. The family was granted refuge in Denmark.