Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
19 April 2022 Vol 7 No 8 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2022
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
This issue’s article about Ken Lum’s exhibition at the Remai Modern in Saskatoon took me back to my art school days.
I met Lum during the final year of my BFA at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna, when he was still a professor at UBC’s main campus in Vancouver. He was in town, and I had been granted one of the two critiques he would do in our class. I was nervous as he had a reputation for being whip-smart and, at times, blunt.
The critique was a bit of a blur. Lum started by asking the class what we were looking at. When someone began to offer his take on what my piece was about, Lum stopped him, and insisted on starting at the beginning: A mixed-media painting that incorporates sewing patterns.
Only after his initial question was fully answered did Lum discuss the work’s themes. That lesson – the importance of approaching art by first considering its material qualities – is one I haven’t forgotten. Even now, when I edit articles for Galleries West, I often ask writers to clarify what they actually see.
Describing a work can be tricky, one of many challenges when writing about art. How much description is enough in a short review? How do you convey understanding about innovative forms, particularly if no image is available? How do you balance your language so it’s accessible to a broad range of people without boring those who are well-versed in art?
Later that day, I somehow found myself sitting next to Lum at a group dinner, which generated more anxiety. But as Lum looked over the menu, he leaned in to share that he always orders the second-least expensive item so no one thinks he’s cheap.
Lum, I should mention, has working-class origins. As Regina writer Maxine Proctor writes in her review of his exhibition, Death and Furniture, his mother was a garment factory worker in Vancouver. By the time I met him, he was already moving in international art circles. His disclosure offered insight into how we carry our pasts with us. I too grew up in a relatively poor family, at least in my early years. Eating out was not something we did and frugality had become a deeply ingrained habit. So Lum’s remark seemed a mix of anxiety-busting class solidarity, as well as useful advice for navigating rarefied social circles.
Since then, Lum has gone on to more success, including publishing an anthology, Everything is Relevant: Writings on Art and Life, 1991-2018, and moving to Philadelphia, where he is chair of fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design.
Do check out our article, as well as five others that look at everything from Métis history in Manitoba and Indigenous artist Edward Poitras to abstract painter Phil Darrah, Jeff Topham’s photographs from Antarctica and a new book, In the Present Moment about Buddhism’s influence on contemporary art
Looking ahead, we are working on stories about Vancouver artist Douglas Coupland, Mumbai-based photographer Rajesh Vora and Edmonton folk artist Sidney Kelsie.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Paul Gessell, Adrienne Huard, Mark Mushet, Maxine Proctor, Richard White
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Special Measures for Journalism Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
