"Paul Wong (born November 20, 1954 in

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its location is on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 1 ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

multimedia artist. An award-winning artist, curator, and organizer of public interventions since the mid-1970s, Wong is known for his engagement with issues of race, sex, and death. His work varies from conceptual performances to narratives, meshing video, photography, installation, and performance with Chinese-Canadian cultural perspectives". "Wong is a founding member of several artists groups including the Video In /

VIVO Media Arts Centre VIVO Media Arts Centre, run under the Satellite Video Exchange Society, (SVES) is an artist-run centre and video distribution library located in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded in 1973 to promote the non-commercial use of video technology by pro ...

(Satellite Video Exchange Society 1973), and is a co-founding member of On The Cutting Edge Productions Society, which produced projects nationally and internationally from 1985 to 2007. These are archived at www.onedge.tv. On Edge was rebranded to On Main Gallery in 2007 www.onmaingallery.com. As Artistic Director/Curator, Wong shifted the focus back to Vancouver".

Curatorial work

He was the lead artist and curator of the "5" series, a major media art spectacle commissioned by the City of Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics. These five site-specific events took place between February 13 to March 13, 2010, showcasing works from both Wong and selected guest artists. Produced by On Main Gallery, the event was part of Mapping and Marking Artist-Initiated Projects for Vancouver 2010. In 2011, he curated 10 Seconds, another City of Vancouver Public Art Project that saw the commissioning of 10 artists creating new works for the Canada Line SkyTrain video screens in Vancouver. In 2013, Wong created the #OMGSMAZ" social media art zones for the 2013 Main Street

Car Free Day World Car Free Day, which is celebrated on September 22, encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day. Organized events are held in some cities and countries. The events, which vary by location, give motorists and commuters an idea ...

and the Kitsilano Music Festival, and "Year of GIF" for the City of Surrey's Surrey UrbanScreen. In 2014, Wong created "#LLL, Looking Listening Looping", and was the curator and artistic director of Thru the Trapdoor, an interdisciplinary art exhibition and event that took place from April 22 to 26, 2014. The event featured over 50 artists and curators. Wong, along with the other members of the Mainstreeters, is featured in Mainstreeters: Taking Advantage 1972-1982. Curated by Allison Collins and Michael Turner, and produced by

grunt gallery The grunt gallery is a Canadian artist-run centre, founded in 1984 and located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They show work by both indigenous and non-indigenous artists. History Established in 1984, and founded by Glenn Alteen, Kempton Dexte ...

, the exhibition surveys the history of a gang of Vancouver artists who lived and worked together.

Collections

Wong's works are in public collections including the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...

, the

Museum of Modern Art, New York The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of the ...

, the Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa) and the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Fran ...

Awards

Wong was awarded the Bell Canada Award in Video Art in 1992. He was also the first recipient of the Transforming Art Award from the Asian Heritage Foundation in 2002. In 2003 he was the inaugural winner of the Trailblazer Expressions Award, created by Heritage Canada, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

and CHUM limited. In 2005, Wong was a recipient of a

Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are annual awards for achievements in visual and media arts in Canada. Up to eight awards are presented annually with the prize amount is $25,000 Created in 2000 by then Governor General Adrie ...

. Wong was the Canadian Spotlight Artist and also awarded Best Canadian Film or Video at the 2008

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a charitable cultural film festival organization located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that advocates Asian representations through media arts. Works include films and videos by East Asia, Southea ...

. In 2016 Wong was the recipient of the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts.

Other media

Wong plays the "Wiry Man" in Season 3, Episode 19 of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', ''Hell Money'' (originally aired 29 March 1996).

References

External links

Official Website of Paul Wong Projects

Official Website of On Main Gallery

Lifetime Collective biography

The Georgia Straight arts features: Artist Paul Wong is a rebel without a guidebook

Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak: The Long Time

A Space Gallery: The Long Time

On Main Gallery: Thru the Trapdoor

VANDOCUMENT: Thru the Trapdoor

Mainstreeters: Taking Advantage 1972 - 1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Paul 1954 births Living people Canadian multimedia artists Canadian video artists Artists from British Columbia Canadian people of Chinese descent People from Prince Rupert, British Columbia Queer artists Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners Canadian LGBT artists 20th-century Canadian artists 20th-century Canadian LGBT people 21st-century Canadian artists 21st-century Canadian LGBT people