VOX
Vancouver BC Sep 6-Oct 4, 2003

Native Vancouverite Paul Wong needs little introduction. Wong’s talents in video, performance, installation and photography have been acknowledged internationally, and in 1992 he received the Bell Canada Award for Video Art. In 2002, Wong was honoured with the Asian Heritage Transforming Award, and in 2003 received a Trailblazer Expression Award.

Wong has been an outstanding contributor to the art of video since early days when he co-founded Video In, a leading electronic arts centre in Vancouver for independent video and experimental media art. He is also an active curator and artistic director who campaigns against censorship, racism, and creative restriction.

Wong has always worked outside the conventions of mainstream art, and many of his once-controversial works are now considered classics. This is his first exhibition in a commercial gallery, the new VOX on Commercial Drive. The works on exhibit include two-foot by three-foot digital photographs from Hungry Ghosts (2003), a project conceived for the Venice Biennale; a four-feet by eight-feet neon installation shown in Window 97 (1997), London; and the gorgeous Flowers A-Z (2003), a new series of digital photos created for the VOX exhibit. The latter consists of twelve-inch square images of alphabet letters plus larger prints that are dazzling in colour and pattern. The letter images truly showcase his eye for design.

© Mia Johnson