HOWIE TSUI: Celestials of Gold Mountain

HOWIE TSUI
CELESTIALS OF GOLD MOUNTAIN
Opens FRIDAY, November 8, 2013 (please note: not Thurs, Nov 7) 7-9 p.m.
Runs Nov 8 – Dec 21, 2013

Wil Aballe Art Projects is proud to present a solo exhibition with Vancouver-based artist Howie Tsui. This will be the first solo show for the artist since his acclaimed presentation at Centre A in 2011. The centrepiece of the show is an epic 48×48″ acrylic on canvas painting entitled Celestials of Gold Mountain.

Celestials of Gold Mountain is an attempt to destabilize prevailing historical portrayals of early Chinese immigrants from nondescript, victimized and hapless labourers into that of mythic beings, referencing ancient cosmology and bestiaries. Conversely, these exaggerated otherworldly depictions may further perpetuate the view of this ethnic group as a monstrous and mysterious other.

Howie Tsui was born in Hong Kong and raised in Nigeria and Thunder Bay. He received a BFA from the University of Waterloo and was awarded the Joseph Stauffer Prize (2005) from the Canada Council for most outstanding young artist. His work is in private collections, the Canada Council Art Bank, City of Ottawa, Ottawa Art Gallery, and Centre d’exposition de Baie-Saint-Paul. Solo exhibits include the Carleton University Art Gallery, Ace Art Inc (Winnipeg), Montréal arts interculturels, Centre A, Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston), with group engagements at the West Vancouver Museum, Boston University School of Fine Arts, Art Institute of Chicago and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. His work has been featured in Border Crossings, Canadian Art, and Yishu: Journal of Chinese Contemporary Art. Howie is currently in a group show at the Doris McCarthy Gallery in Toronto called You Cannot Kill What is Already Dead until Jan 25, and has an upcoming show at the Audain Art Centre. Tsui is represented by Le Gallery in Toronto.

This week, Howie Tsui was featured in Akimbo. Click here to read the writeup.