Karen Tam at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary
By Levin Ifko
Tiohtià:ke/Montréal-based artist Karen Tam’s body of installation work is huge and wide-ranging. From restaurants to kiosks to karaoke lounges, her imaginative reconstructions of various spaces often speaks to the Western “gaze” on Chinese Culture and the simultaneous marketing of Chinese goods with anti-Asian violence. Curated by Henry Heng Lu and Tak Pham for the Illingworth Kerr gallery, her new exhibition, Sea of Clouds, emerged from her archival and collections research on portrayals of China in world fairs and expositions from the 1851 London Fair to the 2010 Shanghai Expo. In particular, Tam’s work reflects how the portrayal of China in these historical events has deeply influenced European perceptions of Chinese culture materially and socially.
Karen Tam, Sea of Clouds, 2024, installation view (photo: Katy Whitt)
Upon entering the exhibition, you are met by massive green pillars which make up the Sea of Clouds Gate, an entryway that guides you into the artist’s (re)creation of her own Chinese Cultural Pavilion. Incorporating felted-flower gardens, a sunset mural, silk banners draped along the walls, and a wide array of objects lining wooden plinths, shelves, and large-scale MDF sculptures, the space is filled with an abundance of Tam’s material inquiries. I’m first drawn to the Sea of Clouds Pleasure Boat, a painted MDF sculpture designed to reference both Chinese boats used in festivals and a restored marble ship that was destroyed by British soldiers in the Second Opium War. This boat is constructed to include shelves stocked with dozens of found objects from porcelain and ceramics to plastic and glass.
Karen Tam, Sea of Clouds Pleasure Boat, 2024, installation view (photo: Katy Whitt)
Along with the other large MDF structures in the gallery, the smoothly painted and cleanly constructed boat reminds me of set pieces used in theatre. Looking at the stark contrast between these structures and the used and worn out objects that rest on them, I reflect on what it means to “display” or “represent” culture in the context of world fairs where visitors may be unfamiliar with the country of origin. What do you choose to represent and who is given the opportunity to make this choice?
So many objects have been brought into this exhibition space. East Asian-influenced material culture and Chinoiserie, found objects and sculptures crafted by Tam, all sit with each other in the gallery. They reflect the ways their creation is intertwined with attempts by Western artists to allude to their ideas of Chinese culture through materials – as well as the simultaneous resistance to these forms of appropriated and exoticized representation.
Karen Tam, From Yiwu to You, 2024, installation view (photo: Katy Whitt)
Moving through the second half of the gallery, I am drawn to the work From Yiwu to You, a series of cyanotypes on paper resembling faux Delftware tiles. The exhibition text states that this piece is meant to reflect European porcelain rooms inspired by a period of trade with China when wealthy Europeans were fascinated with this style as an exoticized motif. I recognize it immediately when entering the room. With my new art historical knowledge, I become curious about what far-removed-contexts I have experienced this style in before. In Tam’s recreation, the cyanotypes tellingly depict imagery of the consumerism present in travel and trade.
Moving past this work, I’m drawn to a series of silk banners reminiscent of festivals and celebrations. I’m moved by one that reads “success to the revolution.” As I leave the gallery via a bridge at the exit, I carry this spirit out of the Sea of Clouds and back onto the land.
Karen Tam: Sea of Clouds continues until November 23.
Illingworth Kerr Gallery: https://www.auarts.ca/our-campus/galleries-on-campus/illingworth-kerr-gallery
The gallery is accessible.
Levin Ifko is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). They will talk your ear off about music, queerness, and media art. Mostly, they believe that art is an opportunity to connect with ourselves and our communities.