| Accession Number | ART96827 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Art |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | acrylic on canvas |
| Maker |
Jones, Geoffrey |
| Place made | Australia: New South Wales, Sydney |
| Date made | 2009 |
| Conflict |
Vietnam, 1962-1975 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
My war in letters and numbers
Description
This work reflects the artist's war time experience through letters and numbers. It begins with 'D445', or the 445th Battalion, a local force of the Viet Cong. The last three numbers '521' represent the number of Australian deaths during the Vietnam War. The palette reflects the "jungle greens" Jones wore while serving in Vietnam, also a metaphorical camouflage for the hidden truths about the war.
Geoffrey Jones (55178) joined the Army in 1966, at the age of 17, as a means of escaping the constraints of a small country town. He served for six years and completed two deployments tours of Vietnam (1968 and 1970). He was discharged in 1971.