January 14 – March 1, 2009
ImagiNation: New Cultural Topographies
Works by Lucie Chan, Jamelie Hassan, Frank Shebageget, Henry Tsang & Jin-me YoonCurated by Ming Tiampo, Nicole Neufeld & Caroline Vanderloo
ImagiNation: New Cultural Topographies features contemporary artists from across the country whose works express some of the complexities of contemporary Canadian identity. Twenty years after the Multiculturalism Act proposed a vision of Canada as a landscape peopled by cultural communities linked by race and faith, these artists move beyond the constraints of cultural identity as defined by ethnicity.
Through their works, the artists critically and creatively re-imagine the cultural intersections that affect the everyday lives of all Canadians. Their varied perspectives on such themes as memory, collectivity and mobility address the consequences of our shrinking world, creating new cultural topographies that chart the ever-changing face of Canada’s cultural landscape. With works that reveal new meanings for familiar objects, complicate our relationships with the idea of home, and personalize colonial experiences, they also offer counter-narratives that encourage us to rethink how history has been told.
About the Artists
Born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1975 and educated in Canada, Lucie Chan now works, teaches, and lives in Halifax.
Jamelie Hassan (b. 1948) was born in London, Ontario where she continues to live and work. A thirty-year survey of this Governor General’s Award-winning artist is being organized by Museum London and the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery for 2009-10.
Frank Shebageget (b. 1972) is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) artist and curator who was born and raised in Upsala, Northwestern Ontario, and now lives and works in Ottawa.
Born in Hong Kong, Henry Tsang (b. 1964) is a Vancouver-based artist and curator. He now teaches at Emily Carr University.
Jin-me Yoon (b. 1960) was born in Korea. In 1968, she immigrated to Vancouver, where she now lives, works, and teaches.
