Binh Danh: Art Imitates Vietnam

Well, the Saccharinist has always had a soft spot for the Vietnamese -- they were, after all, the first nation to bring the mighty mighty U.S. army to its knees, though they paid and are still paying a hefty price for it. Binh Danh is a 29-year-old artist from Vietnam whose family eventually settled in the U.S. I came across his artwork in a magazine and found it to be astoundingly intelligent creativity.

Danh basically prints out negatives of old photographs from Vietnam and renders them onto living plant leaves through a simple but brilliant process which he's developed himself that exploits photosynthesis in plants . The result is leaves with portraits on them. His artwork is currently on display at the Haines Gallery in San Francisco, California. More of his works can be found here.