Ihaya and Chang at RAG

Another intriguing exhibition opening this week!

Richmond Art Gallery presents two exhibitions that explore what it means to be a citizen in a global world where identities are ever-changing and fluid.
 
Amy Chang: Donated Organ and Tomoyo Ihaya: Water, Rice and Bowl 
Exhibit Dates: April 26 – June 1, 2008
Opening reception Friday, April 25, 6:30 – 9:30pm.
Artist Talk: Saturday, May 24, 2pm
Curator Talk & Tour: Thursday, May 1, 6:30pm

This exhibition is accompanied by a RAG publication by Ann Rosenberg

Chang.jpg
Amy Chang, Organ

Ihaya.jpg
Tomoyo Ihaya, Sketches for Water, Rice and Bowl
 
Amy Chang’s Donated Organ and Tomoyo Ihaya’s Water, Rice and Bowl consider the meaning of global citizenship in a world where elements of basic human survival have become commodities. Chang’s ceramic works take the shape of severed human organs, and call to mind the anonymous and often destitute people who are preyed upon to supply the constant demand for organ transplants. The ceramic organs are also signifiers of life and its cycle, and the tubes that connect some of the organs point to the interconnectedness of human lives. Ihaya’s combination of mixed media works and a documentary film show how water is collected drip by drip, and used in daily rituals such as cooking and washing by families in Ladakh, India. This process of collecting water and its thrifty usage are a reminder of the preciousness of water, which is an essential resource that is increasingly becoming scarce these days.
 
Amy Chang received a Bachelor of Business in Taiwan in 1980. She found a passion for art while working for the Cloisonné Company for eight years, and studied ceramics in a private pottery studio. She received a Diploma of Studio Art from Capilano College in 2003, and completed a BFA from Emily Carr Institute in 2007.
 
Tomoyo Ihaya  received a BA in German Literature at Rikkyo University before attending Mount Allison University’s Fine Arts Program. She received an MFA at the University of Alberta in 2002. She has shown internationally for a decade and has received numerous awards, grants, and residencies. Her work is in collections in Canada, the United States, Italy and Thailand.

Tomoyo and I have known each other many years. With her busy exhibition schedule, she’s been featured in these pages several times.

April 22, 2008 in Art Exhibitions, Other artists by Marja-Leena