Art Forums Talk and Book Launch: Paul Wong
Wed Oct 8, 2025 | 3:30–6 PM
Paul Wong, Courtesy of the Artist
Join influential artist and curator Paul Wong at the Reliance Theatre at Emily Carr University of Art & Design for a conversation about his artistic practice and his work guest curating Enemy Alien: Tamio Wakayama at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Known for his experimental approaches to photography, video and media art, Wong has been a key figure in the Vancouver art scene since the 1970s. His provocative works explore identity, race and sexuality, and his practice is deeply rooted in community. Over five decades, Wong has contributed to Vancouver’s cultural landscape through organizing and advocacy, including his roles in establishing the Satellite Video Exchange Society (now VIVO Media Arts Centre) in 1973 and On The Cutting Edge Productions Society (now On Main Gallery) in 1986.
In addition to discussing his own practice, in this talk, Wong also provide a brief overview of Tamio Wakayama’s career, beginning with his photographs of the Civil Rights Movement in the southern United States, and explain how the exhibition was shaped.
Enemy Alien: Tamio Wakayama is the first major solo exhibition and retrospective of works by documentary photographer Tamio Wakayama (1941–2018). The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue featuring Wakayama’s previously unpublished memoir, Soul on Rice.
A reception and book launch will follow in the Reliance Atrium.
Door opens at 3:15 PM
Talk: 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Book Launch and Reception: 4:30 to 6 PM
This talk is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Seating is first come, first served.
This event will take place at Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s Reliance Theatre at 520 E 1st Avenue. Directions »
This talk is an initiative of the Gallery’s Centre for Global Asias and is presented in partnership with Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s Art Forums course.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paul Wong (b. 1954, Prince Rupert, BC) is an award-winning artist and independent curator known for pioneering early visual and media art in Canada. He is the artistic director of On Main Gallery (On The Cutting Edge Productions Society 1986) and the co-founding director of the VIVO Media Arts Centre (Satellite Video Exchange Society 1973), a major Vancouver–based video production and distribution centre.
Wong has been the recipient of a number of prestigious honours and awards including the Canada Council Bell Canada Award in Video Art (1992); Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Art (2005); the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2016); and the Fire Horse Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) from the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. In 2023 he was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
