A River of Migration to Open at SJIMA

A River of Migration by Gu Xiong – Contributed photo

Comparing his own journey from China to Canada, with that of the migration of the salmon, Canadian multi-media artist Gu Xiong will install “A River of Migration” in the San Juan Island Museum of Art’s Atrium Gallery. The community is invited to observe the installation which will take place August 1 – August 5. The exhibition opens on Saturday, August 6 and closes Monday, November 28, 2016.

Continuing SJIMA’s Art as a Voice series, Gu Xiong will give a lecture/multimedia presentation: “A River of Migration” on August 3 at 7:30 at the San Juan Community Theatre. Details will follow soon.

In celebration of SJIMA’s ongoing relationship with the art community of British Columbia and shared concerns about the marine environment, as well as the human cost of migration, SJIMA has invited Gu Xiong to present his installation “A River of Migration.” A Chinese immigrant to Canada, Gu Xiong is now a professor in the Department of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory at the University of British Columbia.

Gu Xiong’s practice centers on the creation of a hybrid identity arising from the integration of different cultural origins. Through the critical angle of visual art, his work encompasses sociology, geography, economics, politics, and literature, as well as the dynamics of globalization, local culture and identity politics, through which he constitutes an amalgamation of multiple cultural histories and seeks to create an entirely new identity. The construction of a new level of being is Gu Xiong’s primary interest. Observe the emergence of two rivers and two cultures – a spiritual river and a river of migration.

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