This book was published in 2001 by the Contemporary Art Gallery, on the occasion of artist Ken Lum‘s exhibition at the Contemporary Art Gallery in its new facility at 555 Nelson Street, May 4 – July 14, 2001. This publication features a forward by Keith Wallace, and essay "Untitled (Ken)" by Michael Turner.


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Ken Lum

Vancouver artist Ken Lum will be featured in one of the two opening exhibitions at the new Contemporary Art Gallery. Lum is one of Canada's most celebrated and internationally exhibited artists. His work has been presented in Canada, across Europe and the USA, as well as Australia, Brazil, South Africa, China, and Japan. He was recently included in the 2000 Shanghai Biennial, and in 2002 he will have a survey of his photo-based work at the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. Lum is well known for appropriating the symbols of popular culture and using text in relationship to visual components.

His exhibition for CAG's new B.C. Binning Gallery will consist of large wall works that simulate business signs for small enterprises such as restaurants, hair salons or travel agencies. They mimic a popular genre of signage that provides a section where words can be changed for slogans and sales announcements, much like movie marquees. Lum has animated these signs with texts that make statements that both relate to, and are in contradistinction to, the nature of the business and the types of messages they usually commu­nicate. These signs provide a more direct and challenging "voice" for their unseen proprietors. 


Essay: “UNTITLED (KEN),” Michael Turner

Ken Lum’s works are mounted on the gallery walls. They are text based two dimensional works with colourful advertisement posters. Their sizes vary, but many of them are larger than human scale.

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Ken Lum’s works are mounted on the gallery walls. They are text based two dimensional works with advertisement posters, such as an anti-racist text accompanying the ad for a sexual service. 

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Ken Lum

Related Exhibitions