The art of Danh Võ

Topic: The art of Danh Võ

Student name: Denise B.

Student number: 59378586

On Consumerism and Brands

Danh Võ often works with found objects, brand logos and fragments of history. With my personal background in advertising, I notice especially how he uses letters, numbers and corporate signs. In advertising, logos and typefaces are meant to persuade and sell. In Võ’s work, the same signs point to memory, identity and politics.

For my research this week, I focused on his use of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton trunks and his reworking of Coca-Cola logos. In these works, Võ takes symbols that usually stand for consumerism, wealth or sugary refreshment and gives them a new context. They are tied to personal stories. I find this interesting because it shows how unstable the meaning of a brand can be.

On Food and Animals

Inspired by this, I looked at my own daily smartphone images as an international student in Hong Kong. I often take photos of my meals. As a vegetarian, food feels tied to culture and identity, and each picture becomes a small memory. I also began to notice and photograph animals in the city, especially cats, birds and butterflies. Over time, these images became a kind of archive.

All pictures are taken by me and have been taken in Hong Kong. 

Food:

Animals: 

I arranged them in two groups, one of food and one of animals. Some I placed neatly like a catalogue, others I grouped more freely. This made me realize that everyday images can shift in meaning once they are re-arranged, similar to how Võ reuses corporate logos.

On My Own

For future projects, I want to explore this idea further. Food photos, animal pictures and even selfies can work as personal databases. They may look simple, but together they show how we live, what we notice and how we connect to a place. By rearranging them, I can ask what they really reveal, not only what I eat or see, but also how I build identity and belonging in a new environment.