Tobias Wong with Glass Chairs no. 1 and no. 2, 2002 

Credit: Dean Kaufman

All We Want Is More: The Tobias Wong Project 

Opening - November 2, 2022

In the early 2000s, Tobias Wong (1974–2010) took the design world by storm. Born and raised in Vancouver, Wong was a brilliant and prolific artist whose career was all too short. Defying easy categorization, his work was wide ranging, pushing and dissolving disciplinary boundaries between conceptual art, performance and product design. Wong’s international career took off and developed in New York City, where he resided until his untimely death in 2010.

Wong’s work was irreverent, witty and thought provoking. He edited pieces by famous designers, appropriated brand imagery and tweaked everyday objects to give them new status and meaning. His work questioned notions of authorship, originality and the value we assign to objects in our lives.  

 All We Want Is More: The Tobias Wong Project is an invitation to revisit Wong’s artistic contribution with fresh eyes. Recent social, environmental and technological events have transformed the way we see the world and inevitably the way we see Tobias Wong’s work. The title of the exhibition refers not only to his interest in conspicuous consumption but also to what we, the exhibition team, felt as we worked on this project: the more we delved into Wong’s work, the more we wanted to know about him. We know you'll want more too!

Sissy That Wok - A House of Rice Performance in A Seat at the Table Exhibition on Chinese Migration to BC

Friday September 23, 2022

Join us for a special House of Rice performance in the A Seat at the Table exhibition on Chinese Migration to BC.

Led by House Mother, Shay Dior, House of Rice is Vancouver’s first all-Asian drag house. The exhibition includes the story of the first Miss Chinatown Pageant – a response by the Chinese Canadian community to the exclusion of Asian women in local beauty pageants. In what ways do drag artists of Asian descent build on and inspire further interventions of Western ideals of gender, art, and beauty? What intersections, histories, and solidarities does it celebrate?

Low Sensory Sunday

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Join us on every last Sunday of the month for a “relaxed” or low sensory day at the MOV. During opening hours, most non-voluntary sounds will be turned off or lowered in our galleries.

(SOLD OUT)

Ink Making from Plants - Workshop with Artist Edward Fu-Chen Juan.

Sunday, October 02, 2022

This workshop requires the use of some tools and sharp objects. Participants must be 16 years or older.

This workshop will focus on the fundamental technique of ink-making from foraged plant material.

Attendees are also invited to bring plant specimens such as roses, elderberry leaf, willow stem, wild currant, etc. Or food scrap materials like beet, blueberry, butterfly pea tea, and spinach. Please avoid acidic materials like cedar, pine, yew, coffee, citrus, etc. – but these materials are not required!

Tobias Wong in his apartment #8 in New York, 2004

Credit: Dean Kaufman

All We Want Is More: The Tobias Wong Project 

Opening - Wednesday 02 November, 2022

In the early 2000s, Tobias Wong (1974–2010) took the design world by storm. Born and raised in Vancouver, Wong was a brilliant and prolific artist whose career was all too short. Defying easy categorization, his work was wide ranging, pushing and dissolving disciplinary boundaries between conceptual art, performance and product design. Wong’s international career took off and developed in New York City, where he resided until his untimely death in 2010.

Wong’s work was irreverent, witty and thought provoking. He edited pieces by famous designers, appropriated brand imagery and tweaked everyday objects to give them new status and meaning. His work questioned notions of authorship, originality and the value we assign to objects in our lives.  

All We Want Is More: The Tobias Wong Project is an invitation to revisit Wong’s artistic contribution with fresh eyes. Recent social, environmental and technological events have transformed the way we see the world and inevitably the way we see Tobias Wong’s work. The title of the exhibition refers not only to his interest in conspicuous consumption but also to what we, the exhibition team, felt as we worked on this project: the more we delved into Wong’s work, the more we wanted to know about him. We know you'll want more too!

In Reflection Across the Shore

Currently on View!

Nature is a source of guidance and comfort in the ongoing process of assessing our place in this complex world. This relationship was especially heightened for some during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Reflection Across the Shore is the result of two artists’ documentation and observations during this time. Here, Edward Fu-Chen Juan and Wang Yu-Wen share their thoughts on what to keep and what to leave behind in a changing world.

This micro-exhibition is presented with the Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles and is in collaboration with Reflect Festival by the Asian-Canadian Special Events Association.

Boarder X

Currently on view!

Originally exhibited at Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2016, the travelling exhibition curated by Jaimie Isaac reveals skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing as vehicles that challenge conformity and status quo.⁠

“Boarder X has created a space for active engagement through art, culture, and boarding in venues on a coast to coast tour across Turtle Island. The interdisciplinary art produced embodies how the artists relate to the environment and cultural landscapes. Working with local skateboarding, youth and art communities, the artists and Vans as a sponsor has been an amazing experience.” Jaimie Isaac, Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and curator of Boarder X.

A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia

Currently on view!

The "Wait to Be Seated" section in A Seat at the Table at MOV presents a documentation of over 200 years of anti-asian discriminatory legislation, press and media in British Columbia. ⁠

⁠

Did you know, the exhibition project is one of the largest museum projects on Chinese Canadian history and culture in Canada to date? A Seat at the Table addresses themes of belonging, racism, agency, resilience and reparation as important facets of the complex picture of Chinese migrants and their descendants in the province.

MOV's Hope and Healing Canada Project

On view in MOV Studio

The Museum of Vancouver, as a former colonial institution, is committed to actions of redress and decolonization. In practice, this means working together with Indigenous Community members to share their stories - past, present, and future; to showcase the ongoing strength of their artistic accomplishments and cultural traditions; and to spark discussions about the issues that matter most to their communities. ⁠

MOV invited Métis artist Tracey-Mae Chambers to create a series of site-specific art installations across Canada. Each is made using crochet, knit, and woven red yarns. ⁠This ongoing body of work is used to illustrate connections between Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis peoples with Canadians, while also addressing the decolonization of public spaces. Once dismantled, the work is returned to the artist and will be reworked and repurposed at another site somewhere else in the country.⁠

The Museum of Vancouver Wins National Award of Exhibit

Vancouver is Awesome

The story of the Chinese diaspora in B.C. is a significant one in the province's history.

A Seat at the Table is the Museum of Vancouver's effort to rethink how it's portrayed and depicted. Now that exhibit has now been recognized with a national award for outstanding achievement in exhibitions by the Canadian Museums Association (CMA).

"A Seat at the Table is timely project that connected students, museum personnel, cultural organizations, and governments to design and populate two unique but complementary multimedia exhibitions in Vancouver, one in Chinatown, and one in the Museum of Vancouver," says the CMA about the exhibit...

Way Forward: Creative Export and Exchange?

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM , Sept 06, 2022

With the borders reopening, the world will intertwine once again. These past few years have challenged many things, including physical mobility, how we relate to each other and the urgent call for equitable and just relations, the ever-evolving concept of sustainability, the introduction or resurfacing of Indigenous wisdom, how cultures are understood or relearned, and how borders of nations and people are being redrawn and redefined. Have we adopted a transformational framework, or are we still in a transactional mindset? Are we truly decolonized, or are we still living in the colonial shell when allocating resources for the creative sector?

Mid Autumn Moon Festival

Sat, 10 Sep 2022, 6:00 PM –

Sun, 11 Sep 2022, 11:00 PM PDT

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is an ancient festival with roots in harvest festival celebrations and moon worshiping rituals. This is when the moon is at its fullest after the autumnal equinox. It is a popular, happy time of year when families get together to share food, admire the full moon, light lanterns and eat mooncakes.

Pieces of the Moon: Culture and Science of the Mid-Autumn Festival

7:00PM – 8:30PM, Sept 09, 2022

Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with the Chinese Canadian Museum and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre! Join us for a unique show in the Planetarium Star Theatre where ancient Chinese folklores of the Moon come together with the latest lunar science. Take a journey to the Moon, through space and even navigate through time with the lunar calendar!

In celebration of Mid-Autumn, ticket-holders to the Space Centre's Mid-Autumn Festival event will get an opportunity to visit the "A Seat at the Table" exhibition on Chinese Migration to BC along with our other exhibits. Present your 'Pieces of the Moon' ticket at the Museum of Vancouver's front desk to get 50% off admission during our opening hours of 10am – 8pm on September 9, 2022!

Happy Summer

14 July - 31 October, 2022

Please visit the upcoming exhibit of landscape paintings by J.A. Tan from July 14 - October 31st at Melo Patisserie, 154 E 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC in the hip and cool neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant. The exhibit is called "Happy Summer!"

PCHC Story Feast: The CHAU Veggie Express Story & More

2:00PM – 3:30PM, Sept 10, 2022

This special event will feature CHAU Veggie Express' owner Maria Huynh and Vietnamese-Canadian artist Chrystal Phan. Partake in an afternoon of storytelling, learning, and delicious food.

Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3-12), with tickets including light refreshments and one of CHAU Veggie's original vegan drinks!

HVS Walking Tour: The Pandemic - Era City and Beyond

10AM – 12PM, Sept 11, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted how we live our everyday lives, how we connect with the people and places we care about, and how we think about and experience the city. What is the heritage of an event that has impacted our lives so profoundly? Join HVS as they follow up on last year’s pandemic tour with some updates to reflect the changing situation from a year ago. On this 2 hour tour around downtown Vancouver, they will be exploring the multilayered effects of the ongoing pandemic in the city.

Fallen City

3:00PM – 5:00PM, Sept 11, 2022

Fallen City is a multidisciplinary arts project that fuses science and art to raise awareness about earthquakes. It is a staged performance integrating cross-cultural music, video projection, scenographic installation, and interactive audience activities.

Fallen City is the brainchild of 3 siblings - Lan Tung (producer/musician/composer), Dr. Dorian Tung (researcher/earthquake engineer), and Li Tung (visual artist/performer).

Music by Proliferasian - blending Asian traditions with avant-garde jazz on erhu, zheng, trumpet, electronics, vocals, bass and drums.