Oglethorpe University Museum of Art presents “Burden of Proof: National Identity and the Legacy of War,” an exhibition inspired by the campus-wide reading of Tim O’Brien’s book “The Things They Carried,” a fictionalized account of the author’s time as an American soldier in Vietnam.

The exhibition explores the juxtaposition of the American and Vietnamese experience of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Artists Dinh Q. Lê, Sheila Pree Bright, Keisha Luce and Kirk Torregrossa are featured.

The exhibition will be Sept. 2 through Dec. 9.

On view will be Bright’s Young Americans c-print series, Luce’s Sum & Parts sculpture series documented by Torregrossa, woven c-print pieces by Dinh Q. Lê, as well as a selection of North Vietnamese propaganda posters from the Shelley and Donald Rubin Private Collection.

Bright’s series depicts young adults with the American flag illustrating the often discordant relationship between Generation Y and their experience as Americans.

Luce’s series is the culmination of a two-month journey to Vietnam to create body castings of people living with the long-term effects of Agent Orange. Torregrossa’s photographs document every step of the Sum & Parts journey. Lê’s c-prints employ a Vietnamese basket weaving technique to literally interweave experiences reflecting the artist’s impressions as a child in Vietnam and as a young adult in California.

“The cultural, physical and emotional dissonance explored by these artists raise many questions regarding the burden of war,” said Elizabeth Peterson, curator and director of the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, “It’s a legacy that crosses borders and is carried through generations.”

Peterson, who joined the museum in mid August, has a keen interest in international and humanitarian issues in exhibition programming and increasing engagement with the greater Atlanta community.

The following images of works included in the exhibition are available upon request:
Untitled from Vietnam to Hollywood (floating figure), 2004, Dinh Q. Lê, c-print and linen tape, 38” x 72”, Courtesy of the artist and PPOW Gallery, New York NY
Thanh, Luu. d., Anh/Mai Mai/La Ngu Oi/men yeu nhat (“Brother, you are forever most loved”) Unknown, tempera on paper, 24 ¾” x 17 ½”, Courtesy of The Shelley and Donald Rubin Private Collection
Jenny Liu, age 20, Chinese, 2009, Young Americans Series, Sheila Pree Bright, chromogenic print from digital file, created using a Hasselblad H3D camera, 65” x 48”, Courtesy of the artist.

Hours and location: open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and University holidays. General admission is $5. Museum members and children under 12 receive free admission.

Parking is free. Call in advance so that we may best accommodate disability access or to arrange touch tours for individuals with low vision. The museum is on the Oglethorpe University campus at 4484 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta.

Information: (404) 364-8555 or visit www.museum.oglethorpe.edu.