If I Had a Hammer- part 01, 2015- 2017

I would like to express my gratitude for the images ‘contributions of Anna Pai, Kwon Wing Cheung, Yat Sing Wong, Jill Ho You, Hye-Seung Jung, Christine Cheung, Alden Alfon, Ho Tam, and Kim Huynh to this project.

In the center of a gallery space, a saddle is mounted 1.5 meters high, adjacent to a vertically distressed cabinet. The cabinet's stature commands attention, standing as a dignified monument. From the elevation of the saddle, viewers' eyes are drawn along diagonal lines of fabric stretching down to the floor, where two large, somewhat familiar objects flank the saddle on either side. One of the two objects, a rectangular form, features cool white foam embellished with the renowned logos of the Canada Council for the Arts. The other, a metallic rectangle, bears a repeating pattern of nine artworks by Western Asian Canadian artists.

This arrangement subtly interrogates the state of multiculturalism in Canada, particularly in the aftermath of the Canadian government's response to the 1998 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Despite official commitments to reconciliation and diversity, the discourse and practical measures surrounding Canadian multiculturalism appear questionable. What is the current status of Asian Canadian art within the nation's cultural landscape.