Vancouver-born artist Ken Lum is the winner of the 2019 Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The award, presented annually to an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to the visual arts in Canada, includes a $50,000 cash prize and a solo exhibition at the gallery within two years.
Lum is the 33rd artist to win the prize, joining a prestigious group of artists including 2018 winner Shuvani Ashoona, as well as artists such as Michael Snow, Liz Magor, Betty Goodwin, General Idea, Stan Douglas and Geoffrey Farmer.
Lum, who has been making art since the 1970s, now teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. His work explores issues of race, class, trauma and the use of public space.
One notable public sculpture, Monument for East Vancouver, was installed for the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. The work turns the words East Van into an illuminated 57-foot cross, creating an empowering symbol of community.
The gallery did not release details of Lum’s upcoming solo exhibition.
Source: Art Gallery of Ontario
