Binh Danh, Chlorophyll Prints

'The Iridescence of Life.'Binh Danh is an artist who continues to fascinate me. A Vietnamese born artist he invented a technique of printing found photographs onto the surface of leaves by experimenting with the process of photosynthesis and using rendered negatives. He calls these delicate pieces 'chlorophyll prints' and he makes each piece permanent by casting them in solid blocks of resin."Binh Danh's work has a quiet urgency. There is something inherently gentle about the faded colors of the leaves and grass; something delicate and painfully beautiful in the detail of the lines and veins that permeate each leaf and image. Yet, in the gentleness, there is the ever present reality of war. Danh's work forces us to hold beauty and horror together. The memory of those that have suffered as a result of war lives on in a fragile leaf that was once living, breathing life as well. There is a certain sad wisdom there leaves can teach us. We only have to look. And listen. And feel." - Monika Del Bosque, Curator.Danh came up with this technique by layering slide film over a leaf and leaving it in the sun for anything from a few days to a few weeks. His inspiration comes from his Vietnamese heritage and our collective memory of war. In his own words he states how his work deals with "mortality, memory, history, landscape, justice, evidence & spirituality'To see a full list of Binh Danh's projects and artist's statement visit his website: http://www.binhdanh.com