Four panel paintings of Vietnamese natural lacquer (sơn ta) on wood with silver, aluminum and pigments (190 × 60 cm each).

Statement

Bricks stacks line roads and villages waiting to be used in the construction frenzy overtaking Vietnam. The Great Wall contemplates the transformation of earth into a human dwelling, and how, piece by piece, mountains and fertile land transform into cities.

Relic-like, the brick stacks evoke the "glory" of ownership and the human desire to demarcate boundaries, possess territory, and exploit resources for consumption. This power left unbridled upon the fragile relationship with our surroundings is the ultimate cause of our global economic and environmental crisis.

The behavior of the sơn ta, a natural resinous substance, parallels this idea of material transformation. Although used here to represent brick, lacquer embodies the tactility of any solid matter- texture, weight, mass-- like no other painting medium.

The Great Wall examines this under-explored attribute of sơn ta lacquer.