Vancouver artist Paul Wong launches new book, Occupying Chinatown, September 11
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and On Main Gallery announce release of limited-edition hardcover in English and Simplified Chinese
Occupying Chinatown by Paul Wong.
Hundreds of letters written to his mother over a 65-year period were a major influence on Vancouver multidisciplinary artist Paul Wong’s newest project. Occupying Chinatown is Wong’s forthcoming limited-edition hardcover book in English and Simplified Chinese.
With full-colour photos, documentation of Wong’s artwork, and three original essays, the book explores Canadian-Chinese identity, his mother’s amnesia, cultural displacement, and Wong’s engagement with local Chinese communities.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and On Main Gallery have announced the book launch and release will take place September 11.
Wong will attend the event in person to speak about the book and sign copies.
“Above all, I have approached this out of curiosity about what has been lost through silence,” Wong was quoted as saying in a media release. “Occupying Chinatown has provided a conceptual frame for inspiring a prolific outpouring of artworks combining fragments of memory, language, and ephemeral histories. It has continued and will continue to allow me to look at everyday things as anything but ordinary.”
The launch happens in the Gardens Scholar’s Study and Courtyard inside Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden (578 Carrall Street) at 2 pm and 3 pm PDT, with access via a general admission ticket. (Each slot accommodates 40 people; bookings can be made here.)
“Paul’s incredible work is a testament to his dedication to telling the Chinese-Canadian journey and we are honoured to host his book launch,” Lorraine Lowe, executive director of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, said in the release. “His year-long residency at the Garden gave people a gateway into learning about our ancestors’ experiences while living in Chinatown. Occupying Chinatown is a book that should sit on many bookshelves for years to come.”
For more information, see Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden.
Paul Wong.
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