The news today is filled with the latest accounts of the Syrian refugee crisis. As Canada begins to welcome these refugees, many people are talking, once again, about how our country – and its culture – has been shaped by successive waves of immigrants. Each newcomer brings his or her cultural traditions and heritage, creating exciting, new art forms and practices – and new ways to express what it means to be Canadian in a global society.
It’s no surprise that the largest collection of contemporary Canadian art in the world reflects this diversity. With 17,000+ artworks by over 3000 artists, the Canada Council Art Bank holds a wealth of fascinating stories about our complex history.
Take for example, the work Wei (2001) by artist Pao Quang Yeh. It is comprised of a child’s shirt, like a traditional Asian embroidered silk garment, which has been adorned with 2,300 tiny Canadian flag lapel pins in the shape of a vest. The shirt hangs from the wall on a hook and hanger and conveys a palpable sense of the weight of history and cultural baggage.
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Michael Davidge is an artist, writer, and independent curator who lives in Ottawa, Ontario. He received an M.A. in English Literature from Concordia University in Montreal and an M.F.A. in Visual Arts from Western University in London, Ontario. He has been involved with artist-run culture for many years and is interested in alternative publishing practices as a form of art history. His writing has appeared online and in numerous Canadian art magazines and exhibition catalogues.
Wei (2001) by Pao Quang Yeh
For Yeh, the work addresses a very specific context and experience connected to his own family’s history and the private and complicated feelings that accompany it. Wei takes its title from the name of one of Yeh’s sisters. Two of Yeh’s aunts came to Canada as refugees and once settled they were able to sponsor other family members. In the early 1980s, Yeh immigrated as a child to Ottawa from Vietnam with his father, brother and sister. However, it wasn’t until several years later that his mother was able to come, and then several years more before his older sister, Wei, arrived. In Wei, two iconic artefacts merge together in a visceral way. The shirt roots the piece in Asian culture, but it is festooned with a symbol of Canadian patriotism. (In fact, the Department of Canadian Heritage donated most of the pins to Yeh, making it possible for him to realize the work.) By using everyday materials, Yeh’s art work is easily recognizable and relatable. The thousands of pins give weight, body, and a tenacious existence to the work. The tiny Canadian flag pins fundamentally transform the light quality of the silky shirt creating a kind of armoured vest that is both protection and barrier. Pierced by the pins thousands of times, the fabric of the shirt begins to lose its integrity and it becomes uncomfortable to wear. Because it feels like it could be torn asunder at any time, the work movingly expresses a sense of vulnerability more than strength. Yeh’s work poetically and immediately captures a complex web of ideas and emotions while offering a comfort that may only be fleeting. As part of the Art Bank collection, Yeh’s artwork can be shown in exhibitions and in offices across the country through the Art Bank’s outreach and rental programs. In his previous position with the City of Ottawa’s Community Arts Program and now as an officer in the Visual Arts program at the Canada Council, Yeh has supported the work of other artists and helped to connect contemporary art with new communities. He is fascinated to see Wei turn up in new contexts and take on new meaning.
t the Author: Michael Davidge