CONTACT
BIOGRAPHY
Chun Hua Catherine Dong is a Chinese-born performance artist living in Canada. She has been invited to perform internationally, such as the 9th Kaunas Biennial in Lituuania, Infr’ Action International Performance Art Festival in Italy, the 4th International Festival and Conference for Live Art and Performance Studies in Finland, and The International Multimedia Art Festival in Burma and so on. Her performance is listed the “top nine amazing political art projects of 2010” by Art and Threat Magazine, along with international well-known artists such as Rebecca Bellmore and Wafaa Bilal. Her current research, “Performance Ethnography: a Method of Inquiry in Research of Visualization,” is supported by Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Concordia University Faculty of Fine Arts and British Columbia Arts Council.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Life itself is a performance. Dong considers performance as an attitude rather than a medium, an ideology rather than a style, a situation rather than an action. She is interested in blurring boundaries between personal and political, between private and public, between performance and everyday practice. Body is political. as part of her interest in identity politics and postmodern feminism, she utilizes body as a disturbance in order to explore ruptures in society. Her work is more relevant to open discussion about how to deal with “deterritorialization” and “disessentialization” in the taken-for-granted world in cultures and how to negotiate and transform social and political landscapes through radical gestures. In her work, she often examines multifaceted struggles of a woman associated with identity, gender, and sexuality in order to reveal the struggle and conflict rooted in ethnic individuals and ethnic groups.
She also uses body gestures as a form of investigation and representation in her interest in ethnographic research to explore cultural phenomena in order to understand social life of humans. Her current research interests focus on how a practice of contemporary performance art addresses the everyday performance of identity, and how strategic, essentialized performance of identity redefines the interconnected concepts of public and private self, gender, and power, questioning whether the image of the Asian body as a foreign subject and object can be economically invested and exploited.
CV
EDUCATION
MFA, 2011-present, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
BFA, 2007-2011, Emily Carr University Art & Design, Vancouver, Canada
PERFORMANCES & EXHIBITIONS
2014
Between Reality and Transcendence, Articule Artist Run Centre, Montreal, April 25-June 1
2013
UNITEXT, The 9th Kaunas Biennial, Lithuania. September 13- December 31
torinoPERFORMANCEART, Performance Art International Festival, June14-15, Turin, Italy
INTERNATIONALES FESTIVAL FÜR PERFORMANCE, Mannheim, Germany, Sept 18-28
Infr’Action Venice International Performance Art Festival, Venice, Italy, May28- June 1, curated by Jonas Stampe
Labyrinth, Contemporary Art Festival, Art Souterrain, Place Bonaventure, Montreal, March 2- 16
LAPSody-Indicating Boundaries, The 4th International Festival and Conference for Live Art and Performance Studies, Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland, May 27th -June 1st
Ultramodene, the MFA Exhibition, Art Mûr, Montreal, Mar23-Apr 6
2012
INSIDER/OUTSIDER, The Lincoln Arts Project (the LPA Gallery), Waltham, MA, U.S, Nov 2nd- Dec 8th, curated by Sandrine Schaefer
The International Multimedia Art Festival, Yangon, Burma. Nov 23-25
M:S T 6 Performance Art Festival, Untitled Arts Society, Calgary, Canada. October 15-20.
M:S T 6 Performance Art Festival, Helen Christou Gallery, University of Lethbridge, Calgary, Canada. October 22.
IGNITION 8, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montreal, May 18-June 16
Concordia University MFA Exhibition, Ancienne Ecole Des Beaux-Arts, March 23
2011
Fleeting Glance: Fast & Dirty, The Underground Station Shoreditch Gallery, London, UK, curated by Kristen Hutchinson and Jennifer Rae Forsyth, 2011.
Ill Repute, the Helen Pitt Gallery, Vancouver, BC, curated by Keith Higgins.
1<3CANDA, 221A Artist Run Centre, Vancouver, curated by Francisco-Fernando
Granados.
Sweaty Bones, Access Gallery, Vancouver, Curated by Heidi Nagtegaal, August, 26.
Another Witness, Nomad Gallery, Vancovuer, August 12, curated by Johnny Yi.
(XXXX), Yactac, Vancouver, July 2, curated by Janice and Justine Cheung, Peggy and Karen Ngan.
SPREAD, Chapel Arts, Vancouver, curated by Matt Troy.
Emily Carr University Graduate Show, Emily Carr University,Vancouver, May 6-21.
A PRETTY SHITTY CITY, Artbank, Vancouver, Curated by Golboo Amani.
Mediate You City, [eightxeightxinfinity], The Atmosphere Conference2011,
University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architecture
Culture Blast- An Arts Explosion, Deer Lake Art Gallery, Burnaby
2010
Visualeyez 2010 Performance Festival, Latitude 53, Edmonton, Alberta, curated by Todd Janes.
Container Art, Pacific National Exhibition, BC
CODE Live 2, CODE.lab at Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC
Will You Marry Me, the Jubilee Auditorium, Alberta
A Night of Translation, The Western Front, Vancouver, BC, curated by Emilio Rojas.
Pact 4: Trade, Vancouver International Centre for contemporary Asian Art, Vancouver, BC
VIVO 2010: Safe Assembly, VIVO Media Arts Centre, Vancouver, BC, curated by Emilio Rojas.
CHARGE UP-Interactive Electronic Art, 1612 Gallery, Vancouver, BC, curated by Morgan Rauscher.
BEAST, 221A Artist Run Centre, Vancouver, BC
Slivers, Shivers, and Snake Skin- A Happening, Chapel Arts, Vancouver, BC, curated by Zarah Acherman.
Emily Carr University External Media Show, Pacific Cinematheque, Vancouver, BC
EVEN, 221A Artist Run Centre, Vancouver, BC
Fabrication, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, BC.
EMBEDDED，WOO gallery, Vancouver, BC
2009
An Alchemic Search for Gold & the Fall of the American Dream, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, curated by Ashlea Conway.
LOW, 221A Artist Run Centre, Vancouver, BC
ARTS2009, Surrey Art Gallery, Surry, BC
Seeing Eye to Eye, the Roundhouse, Vancouver, BC
The 7tth Painting on the Edge, Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC
World Police & Fire Games Exhibition, Deer Lake Art Gallery, Burnaby, BC
Of the Kingdom, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, BC
There-Persons’ Show, Deer Lake Gallery, Burnaby, BC
Escape, the Brown Gallery, Vancouver, BC, curated by Chad Durnford.
2008
Researching, the Roundhouse, Vancouver, BC
ARTS2008, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC
LEAF Exhibition, Canvas Gallery, Vancouver, BC
CCAFV Exhibition, Chinese Culture Centre, Vancouver, BC
Meyer Family Vineyards Painting Competition, Concourse Gallery, Vancouver, BC
AWARDS
2013 The Fine Arts Travel Award, Concordia University, Montreal, QC
2013 Graduate Student Mobility Award, Concordia University, Montreal, QC
2013 Concordia University Conference and Exposition Award, Concordia University, Montreal, QC
2012 Joseph-Amand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada
2012 Michael-Smith Foreign Study Supplement Scholarship, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada
2012 Faculty of Fine Arts Fellowship, Concordia University, QC
2012 BC Arts Council Scholarship, British Columbia Arts Council, BC
2011 Faculty of Fine Arts Fellowship, Concordia University, QC
2011 BC Arts Council Scholarship, British Columbia Arts Council, BC
2010 BC Arts Council Scholarship, British Columbia Arts Council, BC
2010 Brissenden Award, Brissenden Foundation, BC
2009 BC Arts Council Scholarship, British Columbia Arts Council, BC
2009 Jack Harman Memorial Award, Jack Harman Foundation, BC
2008 BC Arts Council Scholarship, British Columbia Arts Council, BC
2008 Jack and Doris Shadbolt Award, Jack & Doris Shadbolt Foundation, Burnaby, BC
2008 Helen Pitt Award, Helen Pitt Foundation, Vancouver, BC
2008 Arts 2008 Award, Surry Arts Council, Surry, BC
2008 Meyer Vineyards Painting Competition Award, Meyer Family Vineyards, BC
2008 CCAFV Award, Chinese Canadian Artist Federation in Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
PUBLICATIONS
Schaefer,Sandrine. “ Insider/ Outsider” Exhibition. Boston: 2012: 23&24.
Addiction, HESA inprint, Issue-14 , March 12, 2012:8-11
Emergency INDEX, the Bros. Lumiere for Ugly Duckling Presse, New York, 2012.
Dong, ChunHua & Ek Rzepka. We Give a Shit because We Care. Vancouver: UNIT/PIIT Press, 2011.
Klassen, Lois, “Participatory Art at the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad,” Performing Citizenship. Vancouver, 2011, 216.
Katalog-Issue 2,Vol 1-BABBLE, Central Canadian Centre for Performance, April, 2011:3.
Amani, Golboo. “Silent Hunter.” Golboo Amani Askes Chun Hua Catherine Dong about Compliance and Aggression in Husbands and I. Front Magazine, Western Front Society. Winter, 2010/11,3 &10.
Berry, David. “Food for Thought- Visuaeyez breaks between artist and audience.” VUE Weekly, Edmonton, Alberta: 2010,14.
Baker, Cindy. “ Hourglass Figure.” Visualeyez 2010 Performance Festival, Latitude 53, Edmonton, Alberta. 2010. 18 September, 2010.
<http://www.visualeyez.org/2010/09/18/hourglass-figure/>
Lithgow, Michael. “9 Amazing Political Art Projects of 2010.” Art & Threat Culuture + Politics. 2010. 19 December, 2010.
< http://artthreat.net/2010/12/9-political-art-projects/>
Nelson, Miranda. “Performance artist Chun Hua Catherine Dong launches Granville Island arts protest.” The Georgia Straight.com. Vancouver: The Georgia Straight, February, 2010. 3 March, 2010.
Hutchings, Jonathan. “An artistic Tribute to Sport.” Burnaby Now. Burnaby, 25 July-2 August 2009: 1 & 12.
Painting on the Edge(catalogue). Vancouver: Federation of Canadian Artists, 2009.
Chun Hua Catherine Dong(catalogue). Burnaby: Deer Lake Art Gallery, March, 2009.
Newsletter(catalogue). Burnaby: Burnaby Arts Council, March, 2009: 2
Reynolds, Sheila.”Artistic assortment”, SurreyLeader, Surrey, 27 June-4 July 2008: 1.
VISIONS. Vancouver: Emily Carr University Art & Design, fall, 2008, 9.
ARTS 2008(catalogue). Surrey: Surrey Arts Council, 2008, 5.
The 14th CCAFV Exhibition: Researching(catalogue). Vancouver: Chinese Canadian Artist Federation in Vancouver. 2008, 7-8.
PROJECTS
2011 Ill Repute, commissioned by the Helen Pitt Gallery, Vancouver, BC.
2011 Culture Blast-An Arts Explosion, commissioned by Burnaby Art’s Council, Burnaby, BC
2010 CODE Live 2,comissioed by CODE. lab at Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC
2010 Container Art, commissioned Pacific National Exhibition, BC
2009 World Police and Fire Game Mural, commissioned by Burnaby Art’s Council, Burnaby, BC
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS
Performing Culture Transformation, Alberta College of Art & Design, October 19th, 2012.
Mediate You City, [eightxeightxinfinity], The Atmosphere Conference2011, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architecture, February 3rd-5th, 2011.
Artist talk, Silent Participant, Capilano University, Vancouver, January 2011.
Culture Blast- An Arts Explosion, Deer Lake Art Gallery, Burnaby, 2011.
TEACHINGS EXPERIENCE
2012-2013, Teaching Assistant, IMCA 230 Performance Art, Concordia University, Montreal
2011-2012, Teaching Assistant, IMCA 330 Intermedia Performance Practice, Concordia University, Montreal
2006-2008, Art Instructor, Boys and Girls Club in Vancouver
