Event Details
An evening with Paul Chan
Thursday 11.12.2009, Doors at 6:30 PM, Starts at 7:00 PM, tbd, All Ages
POSTPONED until further notice.
From Iraq to New Orleans, this decade can be defined as the decade of the refugee- the ongoing struggle to return, redefine and recreate home. What is happening in Portland is a microcosm of the situation for refugees across the globe, yet Portland also is unique in its shared struggles and successes. Paul Chan is uniquely fitted to address this issue. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Omaha, Chan has allied and joined creative efforts to integrate art into the continued challenges, traumas and celebrations that define what it means to be a refugee. He will present a slide talk discussing the role of art and artists in the struggle for dignity and homeland.
About Paul Chan:
Artist Paul Chan lives and works in New York. His recent solo exhibitions have been presented at the New Museum, New York (2008); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, (2007); Serpentine Gallery, London (2007); The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, (2006-07); Portikus, Frankfurt, (2006); Magasin 3, Stockholm Konsthall (2006); Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong (2006); UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2005); and The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (2005).
Selected group exhibitions include The Venice Biennale, Venice (2009); The Turin Triennale, Turin (2008); The Istanbul Biennale, Istanbul (2007), The 2006 Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; New Work/New Acquisitions, The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2005); 8th Biennale d'Art Contemporain de Lyon, France (2005); Carnegie International, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2004).
In 2002, Chan was a part of the American aid group Voices in the Wilderness, working in Baghdad before the U.S. invasion and occupation. In 2004 he garnered police attention for The People's Guide to the Republican National Convention, a free map distributed throughout New York to help protesters to get in or out of the way of the RNC. Most recently Chan collaborated with the Classical Theatre of Harlem and Creative Time to produce a site-specific outdoor presentation of Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot in New Orleans.
Links:
New Yorker Profile (2008)
Artforum cover story (2006)
New York Times feature on Waiting for Godot in New Orleans (2007)
The Nation article on Godot (2007)
Bomb Magazine interview (2005)