Translatio Imperii, Afghanistan, 2018, 2019
Oil on paper, vintage frame, acrylic, brass
7 x 8.5 inches
Courtesy of the Artist and Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, California
Photo: Peter Paul Geoffrion
We are excited to announce the acquisition of Liên Trương’s painting Translatio Imperii, Afghanistan, 2018, that was featured in our exhibition Liên Trương: From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings this past fall.
Afghanistan is one of six small paintings we exhibited from Trương’s series, Translatio Imperii. Surrounded by an ornate, matte black frame, the work is a depiction of Afghanistan being bombed in 2018. Only a glimpse of the scene is visible, encased in a brushstroke, and the rest is a dark, black background. At first glance, the scene could be one of calmness like a traditional landscape—mainly due to its bright colors—and then you see the explosion at the bottom right of the brushstroke. This style of idyllic landscapes is “reminiscent of works by Hudson River School painters who found inspiration in the expansive, untamed American landscape of the mid-19th century,” as Lia Newman, our Director/Curator, explained.
The title [Translatio Imperii] refers to a concept dating from the Middle Ages that espouses a linear succession of dominant civilizations whose power and political legitimacy can be traced back to classical antiquity. This title extrapolates on ideas of trauma caused by the West that is poignant in the painting of the bombing. The artist, Trương, said: “I think about the generational trauma experienced firsthand as a war refugee; passed down from my parents, who endured two wars in Vietnam (French and American); and the global trauma enacted through Orientalist Ideologies.”
The addition of this work to our collection illustrates the gallery’s work to stray from the dominant depictions of history, art, and culture in institutions such as Davidson College (namely white, American, and male). It is a move towards inclusion and prioritizing the stories and perspectives of those who have been silenced.
Read the full label text of Liên Trương: From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings here.
Read the Davidsonian article “From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings: A Conceptual Cosmos of Identity and History” written by Isabel Smith ‘24 here.
– Isabel Smith ’24