It was clear from the time of his birth that Dinh Gia Le was destined to become an artist. Both of his parents are graduates of the Hanoi Fine Arts University as are several other members of his family including his two sisters. As a young boy Le has fond memories of eating and staying overnight at well known Hanoi artist Tran Van Can’s home which was near his family’s home.
Le attended the Hanoi Fine Arts University where he studied painting and sculpture from 1988 until 1997. He then went to Dresden, Germany, for one year to study German. He continues to travel to Germany each year for several months to work and study sculpture there. He is also an assistant in the sculpture department at the Hanoi Fine Arts University. This allows him the time to travel for his work and studies. Over the next few months he will travel for exhibitions and studies in the United States, Germany and New Zealand.
Le is among the best of the Vietnamese artists currently doing installations. Last fall he did an installation at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi. The work was comprised mainly of nearly life-sized figures dressed in black suits wearing red ties. He chose black, red and white because he feels those are the colors which best represent Vietnamese festivals, funerals, and special occasions. The stark white heads were actual casts in latex of Le’s own head. He made 100 latex casts of his head. In 2000, Le’s mother passed away from stomach cancer. This exhibition is largely his response to that tragic loss in his life.
Before doing an installation I have to see the actual space. Then I will create an installation based on my feelings about that specific place.
After his exhibition at the Goethe Institute Le was invited to do an installation at the French Embassy in December. Because place is very important to Le’s work he first went to see the spaces available to him at the Embassy. When he saw the grass he immediately knew that he would do his installation there. He then proceeded to sculpt a series of goats at play on the grass. He also created a video of a slaughter house in Hanoi where the goats are taken to be killed and sold for food. He feels that this juxtaposition represents many things about life. He even mentioned those who went to work at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, on what was to be a normal working day. One can’t help but feel that this juxtaposition also represents Le’s own life; from the bombing at his birth to the early and tragic death of his mother.
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