Inspired by revolutionary murals and propaganda and street artists such as Shepard Fairey and Banksy, I made these two stencil pieces on plywood board. Each of these paintings depicts images of the Vietnam War and is my attempt to spread the message of continuing liberation and resistance in our everyday lives. I specifically chose to use spray paint since graffiti culture in America often follows the same themes of resistance and liberation.
“MONSANTO WILL PAY A BLOOD DEBT” (2018)
3’x4’ spray paint on plywood
This message written Vietnamese while also depicting a plane spraying agent orange drew influence from Vietnam war-era street art that displayed the message “NIXON WILL PAY A BLOOD DEBT”. I wanted to bring awareness to the millions of gallons of pesticides that were being sprayed over the countryside during the war. Even though the war has ended and many decades have passed, these chemicals still cause great harm to our native population ranging from cancers to birth defects. This highlights the never-ending impacts of warfare.
“SELF IMMOLATION” (2019)
4’x3’ spray paint on plywood
This stencil depicts the Buddhist monk that self-immolated to protest the Vietnamese-American war. This extreme act of protest demonstrates the resilience of the Vietnamese people in the face of settler-colonial violence. This stencil is of a famous image taken during the Vietnam war where a monk burned himself alive in protest.
