Thu Van Tran
Vietnam/France b.1979
Rainbow herbicides 2018
Graphite and spray paint on Canson paper, walnut frame
Purchased 2022 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation

The vast plume carefully drawn by Thu Van Tran compiles details of volcanic eruptions, man-made explosions and photographs of clouds. The air here is thick and dangerous. Applying the coloured aerosol paint, which drips downwards with gravity, is the last step.

The six brightly coloured aerosol sprays refer to the ‘rainbow herbicides’ used by the American military during the Vietnam War (1955–75): including the notorious Agent Orange, as well as Agents Blue, Purple, Green, Pink and White. Disseminated from low-flying aircraft, these chemicals were used both to defoliate large areas of forest that might conceal local fighters and destroy crops. In addition to the agents’ damaging environmental effects, their dioxins caused chronic illness and birth defects in the children of those exposed.

Vietnam is Tran’s country of birth, and her apocalyptic plume reminds us of the violence and horror of the Vietnam War, as represented by these airborne chemical agents, whose colourful name belies their terrible function.