to carve without cutting

Visit the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden & Public Sun Yat-Sen Park in Vancouver’s Chinatown from August 31 to September 28 to view the exhibition to carve without cutting, curated by Asia Jong and presented by UNIT/PITT.For the duration of the exhibition run,admission for the day (9:30am-3:30pm) is free by reservation. Both entrances to the Garden and the Park are located at 578 Carrall Street. Please check in at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden visitor services.

to carve without cutting is: an exercise of the heart beating, breaking, expanding, sweating, folding, molting, remaking itself over and over and over again. Like peering into a heart-shaped keyhole, the exhibition attempts to offer a peek, if only for a second, into the fleeting and enigmatic moments of romantic love. Eight pairs of romantically-involved artist partners were commissioned to create site-specific works, drawing from the architecture, symbolism, and design of the Ming Dynasty-era Garden and Park. Artworks are found nestled in rock crevices, under willow trees, along the pebbled walkways, and floating among lily pads. Whether informed by years of partnership, the process of breaking apart, or the fantasy of a never-met online connection, the approaches to artmaking are as varied as the artists’ relationships. Inspired by the Taoist principle of “carving without cutting," curator Asia Jong invites visitors to consider, and recontextualize, the dualistic ebb and flow of transformative love.

Featuring:

• Qian Cheng & Chris Lloyd
• Barry Doupé & Dennis Ha
• Maria-Margaretta & Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (featuring Mino-Margaret Cabana Boucher Pawis Steckley)
• Ellis Sam & Tiziana La Melia
• Dana Qaddah & karmella benedito de barros
• Amy Ching-Yan Lam & Robin Simpson
• Lou Lou Sainsbury & Gabi Dao
• Erin Skiffington & Landon Lim

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a cultural heritage site and registered museum located in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Managed by The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society of Vancouver, a non-profit charitable organization, the Garden operates under an agreement with the Vancouver Park Board.

This project is made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts and Vancouver Park Board.

The Garden is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. As an organization whose mandate is the promotion of cultural sharing and education, we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory, and recognize the continuous need to listen and learn from those who have, and continue to, call Vancouver home.

Host or Publisher Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden