Videos

"When I cannot pronounce a word, Pain fills my tongue, When I cannot understand what people say to me, Pain fills my ears, When I do not understand the world around me, Pain fills my heart....It stings, Waking me in the dark, I struggle and fight, Breaking through, From inside and outside, I strive to reach the light" Taken from, Pins, a poem by Gu Xiong. The complete version of his poem is available here. For more information about this exhibition please click here.

The sharp and stimulating “pins” are adopted as the primary object in the exploration of the identity transitions that immigrants go through, which is difficult to express with words. In Gu Xiong’s own words: “’pins represent all sorts of embarrassment, reluctance, and unfairness, immigrants could experience living in Canada. These things make my heart ache. They prick on my heart like pins, yet not to the extent that my heart bleeds; as time passes, they appear even less important. However, these pains keep reminding me that I could not draw back out of fear; on the contrary, I have to advance against hardship”. Also in a poem that he wrote for this exhibition he mentions: “Pins and pain melt into one becoming my strength” The complete version of his poem is available here. For more information about this exhibition please click here.

There are countless farming seasonal workers from countries such as Mexico, Nicaragua and Jamaica in both the eastern and the western regions of Canada. In 2013, the population of seasonal workers has reached three hundred thousand people. The globalization current has brought a specific working environment and condition for this group of workers. They had to endure their lives within this system in order to fulfill the extensive need for this profession. To this day, the population of international seasonal workers in Canada is still rising. For photos and more information about this solo exhibition please click here.

A video featured in the solo exhibition "Red River". This video is recorded in a karaoke format. The idea hides behind the three separate rivers, Rhine River, Red River, and Yangtze River. While these rivers do not meet on a map, they are joined by an individual’s global journey. The merging of these distant rivers represents our cultural hybridity. For photos and more information about this solo exhibition please click here.

A performance art with Henry Tsang at Western Front, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1992. It deals with Gu's story of migration to Canada at early stage of his cultural shock. It focuses on his experience being placed between two cultures, determining which one he belongs to. To view photos taken from this performance please click here.

This video is dealing with our experiences through culture shock caused by facing the hardship of being placed in a completely different culture. This magnifies the concept of where we call home and where we belong. At the time for Gu and his family, home had just changed from China to Canada. Gu and his family had their first experience of camping in Canada after 5 years of moving. This experience was one his first leisure moments in Canada. He set a up campfire, and while he was finally experiencing a relaxing moment by feeling the warmth of the fire and listening to the cracking log fire sound, his mind was at work going through common thoughts and words he dealt with after moving to Canada. This video illustrates some of the thoughts going through Gu's mind. This video was featured in Gu's installation, "Here, There, Everywhere", in a large group show, "Here Not There", which took place in Vancouver Art Gallery. To view photos of this installation and more information please click here.

A Girl From China is a multi-media performance piece, Using Video, music and storytelling to unravel the emotional story of three generations. From the Cultural Revolution in China, to life as immigrants in Canada, their past sufferings, present hardships and triumphs are retold through the eyes of Gu Yu, a girl who doesn’t want to be a copy or a reproduction, but the original. To view photos of this performance and more information please click here.

You are like a river, You move through the city, Sending people home and to work, Moving between every street and building, Giving strength to the city and its people, Every second, minute, hour, day, month and year, Never resting, You watch the city grow, It is like a mountain becoming bigger and higher, You remain under the bottom, The sound of your breath becomes heavier, As you carry this mountain on your back, Through the night, Into the morning light, I come to you everyday, Tired, rushed or relaxed, You always welcome me, You become a part of my life, A part of me, You move into my body, And through my veins, You become me and I become you, Moving, Turning, Moving, …. Gu Xiong Feb 10, 2001

Gu participated in the China Avant-Garde exhibition at China National Museum of Fine Arts, in Beijing ( February 1989). It was the first Chinese Avant-Garde exhibition and the there were around 250 Chinese contemporary artists participated in this show. This video features exhibition event and Gu's installation/performance art called Enclosures. For photos and more information about this group exhibition and Gu’s installation/performance art, please click here.

As waterways, these different locales function as metaphors for the issues of movement and migration. They show us how things move ahead: water, people, and time itself flows on, and cannot return to their original points. People have to face issues in society and with the environment to make it possible for life to flow on as well. Chris Lee who wrote an essay about this exhibition mentions "Rivers teach us that nothing is static and even the most permanent can be washed away. But maybe memory can be more powerful than forgetting. Gu’s work confronts the injustices that have accompanied migration and recover the neglected histories sedimented in our own waterscape. The sight of thousands of folded paper boats hovering in the space of the gallery reminds me of the haunting photographs of confiscated fishing boats moored in Steveston after their Japanese-Canadian owners were incarcerated during WWII. They also recall the instant demonization of the Tamil migrants who arrived on our shores this past summer. All waterscapes are saturated with painful pasts. But Gu reminds us that boats are also a sign of hope: they carry our dreams down the river, towards a world that has yet to come." To view photos of this exhibition please click here.

Gu Xiong and Ge Ni during an interview briefly talk about their personal experience of immigration. Gu moved to Canada in 1989 and his wife, Ge, and their daughter, Yu joined Gu later in early 1990s. During this interview they explain how they dealt with cultural shock and build up their new identity and lives. This video was featured in a solo exhibition, Waterscapes. For photos and more information about this solo exhibition please click here.

An interview about a man in China explaining his experience after moving from a small town to a mega city in with population of over 30 million people. Ling Jing Huo talks about his love for books and how he started a bookstore as a small business where his primary goal is to promote art and reading culture. This video was featured in a solo exhibition, Waterscapes. For photos and more information about this solo exhibition please click here.

A couple sharing their story of immigration from east to west. Li Wenyue and Zheng Yuzhen moved to Canada from China in 1970s. The couple in an interview describe their story of finding themselves a new place to call home, Canada. This video was featured in a solo exhibition, Waterscapes. For photos and more information about this solo exhibition please click here.

A short documentary narrated by Dr. Ying Ying Chen, an archaeologist, who is also an immigrant from China. This documentary unveils the story of migration of Chinese immigrants to North British Columbia during the gold rush. Dr. Chen explains the origin of China Town in Barkerville, BC. This video was featured in a solo exhibition, Waterscapes. For photos and more information about this solo exhibition please click here.