Army SGT. Marvin R. Sprayberry III 2014

Binh Danh made this photographic image, "Army SGT. Marvin R. Sprayberry III", using an alternative photographic process. Danh's work often grapples with memory, and in this piece, the ethereal quality of the image feels like a fading recollection. The plate is a silver gelatin print, and the silvery surface gives the image a ghostly feel, like a memory half-forgotten. The crosses are blurred, the inscriptions on them almost illegible, but the texture of the wood is clearly visible, giving them a tangible, material presence. I'm drawn to the inverted text on the central cross. It reads backwards, challenging us to see beyond the surface, to reflect on the lives lost. It’s about making you stop and think. Like the work of Christian Boltanski, Danh's work uses simple materials to evoke profound emotions. It suggests that art is not just about representation, but about the process of remembering, of grappling with history, and of finding meaning in loss.