Matthew Brannon: Concerning Vietnam

“Brannon offers us a different perspective and, just maybe, a higher level of understanding when it comes to this great American disaster story.” –Clive Martin, CNN New York–based artist Matthew Brannon (born 1971) has spent the past five years exhaustively researching the Vietnam/American War, seeking his own understanding of one of the most pivotal confrontations of the 20th century and translating that research into intricate silkscreen works that collage military documents, maps, logos, memoranda and contemporaneous ephemera. Concerning Vietnam distills a picture of the war and its ongoing effects in vivid, densely packed images that employ the bold graphic design for which the artist is known. Alongside these works are Brannon’s notes on the objects and situations they depict, constructing a detailed chronology of the war and a complex overview of the consequences of US intervention in Southeast Asia. Designed by Studio LHOOQ in close collaboration with the artist, Concerning Vietnam collects the entire series of prints and texts, with a new essay on the work by curator Veronica Roberts and a conversation between the artist and Vietnam historian Mark Atwood Lawrence.