ABOUT LAIWAN
Laiwan is an artist and writer recognized for her interdisciplinary practice based in poetics and philosophy. Born in Zimbabwe of Chinese parents, she immigrated to Canada in 1977 to leave the war in Rhodesia.
In 1983 she founded the OR Gallery at 1729 Franklin Street in Vancouver. She was artist-in-residence / programmer during its first year. In 1988 she initiated the First Vancouver Lesbian Film Festival in collaboration with the Lesbian Network, the Vancouver East Cinema, the Pacific Cinematheque and the National Film Board of Canada. This four day event was a celebrated public success for the community.
Laiwan continues to exhibit in various group and solo shows, curates projects in the US, Canada and Zimbabwe, and is an activist in gay and feminist community organizing. Published in journals and in collections such as Swallowing Clouds: An Anthology of Chinese-Canadian Poetry; Facing History: Portraits from Vancouver, and, DAMP: Contemporary Vancouver Media Art; Laiwan also writes about art. Recently she examined hauntology in the work of Ed Pien for Canadian Art Magazine.
Recipient of the 2008 Vancouver Queer Media Artist Award, she re-created the interactive multimedia installation DUET: ETUDE FOR SOLITUDEs in August 2008 for a solo exhibition titled Loose Work. Displaying a variety of interdisciplinary works made over the past 25 years, the show honoured Out on Screen's 20th and the OR Gallery's 25th anniversaries. Her new work was recently featured in the Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition HOW SOON IS NOW: CONTEMPORARY ART FROM HERE curated by Kathleen Ritter.
She is interested in cross-disciplinary projects and her interactive website Call Numbers: The Library Recordings, a collaborative project with the Vancouver Public Library curated by Lorna Brown, has engaged a wide public audience. Created in 2007, this project continues to be developed.
Laiwan is currently investigating embodiment through performativity, audio, music, improvisation, and varieties of media, along with bodily and emotional intelligence, so as to unravel and engage presence.
She participates in public discourse and enjoys contributing to discussions, panels, symposia, conferences and philosophy cafes. She happily gives lectures, artist's talks and workshops at a variety of venues including art programs, universities, galleries, community centres, and living rooms.
Laiwan teaches in the MFA Interdisciplinary Arts Program at Goddard College in Washington State, USA, and lives in Vancouver, Canada.
FOR current activities go to RECENT NEWS
FOR archives go to LINKSCONTACT: laiwanette@gmail.com