Arts & Culture

Chad Wong’s diptych “Empty Spaces that Fill My Heart” is on display at Aberdeen Canada Line station.

Photos courtesy Richmond Art Gallery

Photos on display at Canada Line stations as part of photography festival

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 4:41 PDT, Fri April 8, 2022

Last Updated: 3:17 PDT, Mon April 25, 2022

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Richmond Art Gallery and Richmond Public Art are presenting the photo-based artworks of Kyla Bourgh and Chad Wong as part of Capture Photography Festival. The artworks will be on display at Lansdowne and Aberdeen Canada Line stations through Feb. 28, 2023.

The works cast a light on the lived experiences of two artists: Wong who is a second-generation Canadian and Bourgh, an artist of mixed heritage. Themes such as identity, belonging, discrimination, memory, and connection to ancestral countries emerge in the artworks.

As much as immigration to Canada continues to be a vital part of the country’s narrative, multi-generational immigrant families also continue to navigate the reality of dual identities, particularly as differences emerge between first, second, and even third-generation Canadians. On a broader scale, members of immigrant communities manage the ever-changing influences that stem from a culture in a constant state of flux.

“Our two artists for Capture Festival this year reflect on their multi-faceted lived experiences as settler Canadians here in British Columbia,” says Richmond Art Gallery director Shaun Dacey. “Their compelling photo-based works connect with symbols of their cultural identities through the lens of our current social context.”

Lansdowne Canada Line station will display Bourgh’s Objects given to my mom because she is Asian, a series of three photographs featuring objects challenging viewers to unpack their discriminations and perspectives. The objects were given to Bourgh’s mother over the past 50 years.

Each object is associated with an “Asian style” and was gifted to Bourgh’s mother because of her physical and cultural identity. Bourgh’s work highlights that, while the gifts were given to her mother in kindness, they unwittingly reminded her that she is and always will be perceived as a visible minority in her farming community in rural B.C. Through these photographs, the artist contemplates the unconscious biases placed on her mother and how they differ from her own lived experiences as white-passing and a Canadian of mixed ethnicity.

Vancouver-based artist Bourgh grew up in the interior of B.C. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr University, a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Okanagan University. Her practice includes curating, social engagement, writing, and text-based work. Bourgh’s art has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Wong’s diptych, Empty Spaces that Fill My Heart, will be on view at Aberdeen Canada Line station. The photographs feature abstracted fragments of awnings and hallways of the Hong Kong-style cafes and Chinese- Canadian malls he grew up visiting in Richmond and Vancouver.

Wong takes note of the distinctive spaces that demonstrate a blend of Eastern and Western influences and how they are gradually disappearing in modern times. To the artist, these spaces are the last vestige of his connection to Hong Kong. As the identity of the communities that surround these spaces begins to change, and gentrification ensues, Wong feels the urgency to document these sites. The images in his photographs contemplate how modes of representation in architecture—or associations made with spaces and locations—and shared cultural spaces help shape a community’s identity and narrative.

Wong’s body of work addresses the fading signs and symbols of Hong Kongese/Cantonese Chinese-Canadian cultural urban spaces in Richmond and Vancouver. Installed at Aberdeen Canada Line station, the works draw attention to the location and its association with Chinese-Canadian businesses and cultural manifestation.

Wong is a second-generation Canadian whose family immigrated to Richmond from Hong Kong. He is currently based in Vancouver and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of British Columbia.

Richmond Art Gallery and Richmond Public Art have partnered on two public programs in May to accompany the exhibition: a Canada Line walking tour and an Artist Salon with Kyla Bourgh and Shaun Dacey.