The Penal Colony, a new exhibit by visual artist Dinh Q. Le, highlights the injustices and hidden aspects of war and the secrets behind prison walls. Inspired by the recent events involving the United States Military Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the installation is divided into two sets of media.

Videos shot in the notorious political prison on Con Dao island off the coast of Vietnam highlight the horrific conditions where anti-French and anti-U.S. activits from the southeast Asian nation were sent to be tortured and live in “tiger cages” during the Vietnam War.

A photo installation portion, The Hill of Poisonous Trees, uses Le’s distinctive “photo weaving” technique to show the The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Phen, Cambodia, the infamous Security Prison 21 (S-21) built by the Khmer Rouge regime interwoven with images of its prisoners and of Buddha portaits from the Temple of Siem Riep.

You can against torture by learning more about Witness Against Torture, a campaign to shut down Guantanamo Bay.

The Penal Colony

May 1 - May 31, 2008

P.P.O.W. Gallery

555 West 25th Street

New York, NY 10001