Artist Talk: Ken Lum

Acclaimed Canadian artist Ken Lum shares insights into his four decades-long artistic practice spanning the mediums of painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and public art. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Scotiabank Photography Award: Ken Lum, on view at The Image Centre May 9–August 3, 2024.

Artist Bio

Ken Lum (Canada/USA, b. 1956) works in various media, including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and public art. He is currently Chair of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design, Philadelphia. Lum’s art has been included in major exhibitions such as Documenta 11 (Germany), the Venice Biennale (Italy), the São Paulo Biennial (Brazil), and the Whitney Biennial (USA). He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship (1999), the Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Award (2007), the Gershon Iskowitz Prize (2019), and the Governor-General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2020). He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. Lum is represented by Magenta Plains, New York, and Royale Projects, Los Angeles.

About the Exhibition

This exhibition, comprising signature series along with new works, celebrates the career of Canadian artist Ken Lum, winner of the 2023 Scotiabank Photography Award. Lum is internationally known for his conceptualist and often humorous approach, which draws on methods from cultural and social studies, semiology, psychoanalysis, and political philosophy. The artist’s impactful practice utilizes photography to investigate the relationship between language and representation in the public space. By doing so, Lum critically challenges the social hierarchies and dominant narratives related to identity, class, and gender that are always at play in capitalist and postcolonial societies.

Admission is always free.

Gallery Hours

Sunday–Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: 12–8 pm

Thursday–Saturday: 12–6 pm

Exhibition Tours

Tuesday: By appointment

Wednesday–Friday: Drop-in, 1:30 pm