Kirk Torregrossa Photography
A young child afflicted with Spina Bifida rests at home, Danang A young girl rest on her crutches, Danang Go Vap, Saigon, Vietnam, 2009 A boy at home, Danang. Sum, a residant of a training facility outside of Ho Chi Minh City specifically designed for persons effected by Dioxin, is an artist that paints with her feet. A child plays with a small car in Tu' Du' hospital. He will live his life in a ward here, in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. A mother sits with her three developmentally disabled children in their home outside of Danang. Workshop, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam At a center run by VAVA (Vietnam Association for the Victims of Agent Orange) in DaNang, Phoung and classmates learn to embroider. Go Vap Orphanage on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City houses some 300 children, many carrying pathologies associated with Agent Orange. Swelling of the head and brain is a common trait in children exposed to dioxin. Dioxin has shaped this young girl's body into something I cannot fully understand. Loi. Shop Class, Danang, Vietnam Teenagers hang out during rest area at Tu' Du' hospital. A woman and her two children in their home outside of Danang. The girl on the floor is nine years old, her brother, in his mother's lap, is ten. This boy is paralyzed due to his father's exposure to Dioxin during Vietnams war with Cambodia, remnants from before 1975. Thien Phuc, an orphanage in Cu Chi, a rural district of Ho Chi Minh City houses 70 children, all of them handicapped. A few of the children exhibit pathologies associated with Dioxin in the landscape. Two young men work at a lathe at a workshop in a rural training facility for victims of Dioxin. A family at home, Danang, Vietnam #1 Lo's feet. He is training in Masonry at a facility outside of Ho Chi Minh city. Four babies, one clearly affected by Dioxin, sleep at Go Vap orphanage. A bright morning at Thien Phuc Ophanage, highlights a caretaker and some of the children that call this place home. Loi on his bike, Saigon, Vietnam, 2009
Sum and Parts
During Winter 2009, I worked with Keisha Luce, a Documentary Sculpture. Together we are trying to expose, through photos and body casts, the legacy of war.

My intent is to craft a story that illustrates not only the horrible long term effects of chemical warfare, but with resiliency and bravery, how the people involved soldier on.

Our first show together will be at the SALT gallery in Portland, Maine, in mid July. Please re-check for exact dates and details.

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