» Vietnamese Veteran Testimonial

The works Long Time No See, One Line Man and Vietnamese Veteran Testimonial result from the project Long Time No See, exploring the memory of the American War in Vietnam and the ongoing legacy of chemical warfare. Over a two year period (2018–2022), Orejarena & Stein worked closely with a community of Vietnamese veterans and their descendants who live at Lang Huu Nghi – a residence in Hanoi for veterans and younger generations affected by Agent Orange, a genetically mutating chemical weapon used by the US during the war.

Vietnamese Veteran Testimonial is a collaboration with a Vietnamese veteran whom Orejarena & Stein met in 2019. After photographing the veteran, Orejarena & Stein shared a portfolio of prints from their ongoing body of work on the memory and legacy of the American War in Vietnam. The veteran was struck by a photograph of an empty white tombstone in a graveyard, and shared a powerful story that he felt was perfectly symbolized in this image: in 1973, upon his return home from the war, he was given his death certificate; a tombstone was even made with his name on it. Orejarena & Stein felt that it would be appropriate for the veteran to write his story on the photographed tombstone – a blank slate for someone who had not died.

(Edited from text excerpts provided by the artists and Sara van Bussel)