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26 March 2014
Asian Art in Toronto

Asian Art in Toronto

The East Gallery's upcoming exhibition in Toronto on "Light from the East: Representations of Spirituality in Vietnamese and Burmese Contemporary Art" promises to be well worth a visit.

Last week, the AsianCenturyInstitute was fortunate to be able to speak with the East Gallery's director, Andrew FitzGerald, on the contemporary Asian art scene in Toronto, his gallery and his upcoming exhibition.

Andrew, could you please share with our readers some insights into Asian Art in Toronto?

Toronto has long been Canada's leading city for business and finance, but it was never really a center for the arts. And while the art scene has developed these past few decades, some 80 per cent of all paintings sold represent Canadian landscapes. This is very surprising because Toronto is arguably the world's most global city. Over half of its population are migrants from abroad, and one-third come from the Asian continent. I was convinced that there was a need and indeed a demand in Toronto for contemporary Asian art, just as there is in other global cities like New York, London, Berlin and Sydney.

Thanks Andrew, could you tell us a bit about your gallery, what you are trying to achieve and how things are going?

The East Gallery, which we opened about a year ago, is actually the only exhibition space in Toronto that focuses exclusively on contemporary Asian art. We have decided to focus on art from South East Asia, and have already held exhibitions on painting from Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. Our current exhibition "Burma -- These Days" presents the works of four leading Burmese artists, which range from dramatic portraiture and fiery impressionistic landscapes to photo-realistic waterscapes and atmospheric depictions of every-day life. This is our seventh exhibition over the last 12 months and the first in our new permanent space at 334 Dundas Street West.

Our mission is to provide Canadians with a window onto the exciting art scenes of Southeast Asia. This region has been undergoing an economic and social revolution, with the pace of change being most dramatic in late developers of Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. Young urban kids in these countries are part of the modern Internet generation, armed with iPhones and iPods, and active on Twitter and Facebook. And yet many of their parents remain locked in traditional agriculture which was the lifeblood of these countries for thousands of years.

Modernization has been telescoped into one generation. And each of these three countries has experienced great traumas. Thus, the contemporary painting of these countries embodies the energy, excitement and tension of their social cauldrons.

Already, we are seeing great interest in our gallery by Torontonians. For example, Canada's trade minister Ed Fast, dropped for a press conference in July.

Thanks again Andrew. What will be the highlights of your upcoming exhibition on "Light from the East – Spirituality in Contemporary Art from Burma and Vietnam"?

We will be presenting eight internationally recognized contemporary artists from Vietnam and Burma who address spirituality in very personal and often unconventional ways. The works range from S. Moe Z.’s boldly colored paintings of Burmese monks and Khin Zaw Latt’s striking Buddha images to Nann Nann’s abstract, meditative reflections about her Buddhist beliefs and Vu Thu Hien’s dreamlike and sometimes haunting watercolors that refer to the soul, to spirits and ancestor worship. Nguyen Kim Quang uses symbols from Buddhism and Taoism in his abstract, striking lacquer creations while Dinh Thi Tham Poong’s intricate watercolors reflect the spiritual relationship between humans and nature.

The exhibition will go September 18 to October 14, with the opening reception on Wednesday, September 19, 5.30 pm to 9 pm.

Andrew, I think that you spent most of your career as a corporate banker. How did you end up in Asian contemporary art?

Yes, I was a banker for about 20 years, and spent 14 of those years in Asia. And while I was excited at being part of Asia's economic miracle, I was also fascinated by the rapid social and cultural transformation of the region. So for me, creating the East Gallery represents an exciting new challenge.

While our gallery is of course a business, for me it is much more than a business. I hope that the East Gallery will help development in Southeast Asia by providing artists with the opportunity to sell their works. We also want to introduce Canadians to a wide range of exciting modern Asian artists, both emerging and established. All the artists we represent produce unique and compelling work, and many have had high-profile exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world.

In addition, through a range of special events such as book readings, film nights and lectures we want to provide visitors with a social, historical and cultural context to the art and artists we present. Furthermore, art lovers can keep up-to-date with the latest trends and happenings in the contemporary Asian art world through the East Gallery’s regular postings on facebook and twitter as well as on our website’s blog.

Exhibition details

"Light from the East – Spirituality in Contemporary Art from Burma and Vietnam"?

Exhibition Dates: September 18 – October 14, 2012

Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm
Location: The East Gallery, 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto (across from the Art Gallery of Ontario)

Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 19, 5.30 pm to 9 pm

For further information please contact Andrew FitzGerald at:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (1) 416 705 4331
http://www.theeastgallery.com

Author

John West
Executive Director
Asian Century Institute
www.asiancenturyinstitute.com
Tags: asia, art, contemporary painting, Vietnam, Burma, Toronto, East Gallery

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