Vancouver based photographer, Lulu Zyl, has been honing her skills in photography for the last several years. Originally a graphic designer, she added video animation to her skills, becoming a VJ doing live video for music performances. Lulu blended her photography skills with her twenty-four years of animation and graphics experience, bringing about a perfect marriage of her two passions. She loves to combine music and visual rhythm, using pictures to describe music and emotions.

Born in Shanghai, Lulu Zyl, through the mediums of photography and digital painting, has created a body of work that explores the intersections between Eastern and Western modes of artistic expression, centering on themes of women’s empowerment. Her successful “Masked Intentions” and “Zen Leaf” shows at Sun Yat Sen’s gallery in Vancouver Canada and Red moon art Gallery in Melbourne Australia took the form of modern digital collages printed on traditional scroll material and featured an exploration of these issues through symbolic layering/breaking of veils and Chinese opera masks. In her next show, Lulu will expand on this exploration with a new series of photo-based/ digital painting pieces.

In her next project, Lulu’s will introduce a further evolution into her visual animation and photography practice. A unique use of textured and structured graphics will be used to describe feeling and emotion in a visual animation environment and will allow Lulu to challenge the boundaries of people photography – utilizing weightlessness to tell stories, and explore the depths of movement and composition.

Through the stories of success of two senior artists migrated from China and settled down in Vancouver, the core values of Canada are once again reaffirmed – respect for individual choice; an equal opportunity towards success; a place for nurturing of talents; a recognition of unity and harmony yet respect for diversity and acceptance.  Indeed, Canada is a place where we all proudly called ” Home”.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

A Place to Call Home – Chinese Paintings of Tinyan CHAN and Xingjian LI

Dates of Exhibition?

1 (Sat) – 16?Sun?May 2021

11 am – 5 pm (Monday Closed)

Venue:

International Arts Gallery

 555 Howe Street, Ground Floor, Vancouver, BC

Opening Ceremony: To be Confirmed

????? – ??? / ??????

???? / ???

2021?5?1? (???) ?16? (???)

?????????? (?????)

?????

????

 555 Howe Street, Ground Floor, Vancouver, BC

??????????

Contribute until June 11 via Fundrazr

$12,000 Goal: CLICK HERE TO DONATE

“Now more than ever in the midst of a pandemic and visible anti-racism sentiment we are fostering and strengthening a sense of belonging as well as retaining pride in our Asian roots. So looking forward to our 25th anniversary celebration.” Jeff Chan, VAHMS Ambassador

Food, live performances, vibrant conversations, speeches and commemorations for our Recognition Awards honourees – this is what we brought you pre-COVID in the form of the explorASIAN Recognition Awards Gala.

We miss the in-person parties and wish we could share that sumptuous meal with you, but we must once again stage our Gala virtually. While we are happy to share our programming and recognition of prominent Asian Canadians for free, we have also lost our only fundraising event for the second year in a row.

So this year we are asking for your support. We are offering virtual seats and virtual tables to attend the virtual Gala at previous ticket prices. For a $70 contribution you will be recognized on our website and in the program for the Recognition Awards and Gala. For a table of ten at $630, we’ll add to that a verbal acknowledgement at the beginning of the event. If you would normally attend the Fundraising Gala, we’re hoping you’ll pledge your ticket and support VAHMS for another 25 years of celebrating Asian Canadian arts and culture.

This year we are celebrating 25 years of Asian Heritage Month festivals in the Greater Vancouver area. Dedicated volunteers, inspiring leadership, funders and contributors like you have made it happen for a quarter of a century – thank you for your continued support!

Complete your contribution through our Fundrazr portal linked above – it’s fast, convenient and safe. You can also mail a cheque to us at:

Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society

c/o UBC Learning Exchange

612 Main Street

Vancouver, BC

V6A 2V3

We look forward to honouring you, your colleagues and friends for always being there to help us celebrate Pan-Asian Canadian arts and culture no matter what the challenges are.

Thank you!

The Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society

Since the pandemic started in 2020, violent and discriminatory hate crimes have increased and are shaking Vancouver communities, especially those identified as Asian. For years, racism and discrimination continue to divide us as a society, raising barriers against the harmonious development of our communities and becoming a serious threat for individuals. There is a need for more communication and more conversations between communities on everyone’s realities and needs. Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS) stands in solidarity with the Asian communities who have been singled out and targeted, especially during this health crisis. In times like these, it is important that we all practice respectful solidarity, and encourage inter-community unity to share the responsibility to end these denigrating hate behaviours. We, as individuals, can be part of the solution. We can start by reflecting on our own perspectives of others, our values, and how these concepts impact the way we act or react towards others. We can also act with a strong stand against discrimination and in favour of human rights.

As well, we recommend the public learn more about Asian cultures and communities in Vancouver by supporting and attending cultural events and activities that showcase Asian communities, by hosting events in schools where students, teachers, and community organizations speak about anti-Asian racism, violence, and hate, or by attending online events and workshops in support of Asian communities.

To learn more about the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, go to: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day

The Canadian Society for Asian Arts and explorASIAN are presenting an online launch of the publication: ‘Bird Tracks in the Air’ by Professors Jan Walls and Yvonne Walls, who have edited and translated poems of revered poet Wang Anshi. Illustrations by artist Liu Lingling enhance the poetry.

Wang Anshi (1021-1086) has always been known as a leading Song Dynasty political reformer, and as one of the ‘Eight Great Essayists of the Tang and Song Periods’ in China, but he was also a master composer of the shorter Chinese verse forms. The program presents poems illustrating Wang’s various levels of awareness and enlightenment, from commemorating conventional occasions to sharing a mystical awareness of the human situation.

Jan Walls and Yvonne Walls are engaging speakers and renowned scholars of Chinese language and literature. They have taught at the Universities of British Columbia, Victoria and Simon Fraser in Canada and in the U.S. and Japan. They have published extensively on Chinese art and literature, as authors and translators.

To register for this free event go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CztN97PeT9WPZtzOJp851w

• 

• 

With Firehorse and Shadow contemporary dance artist Andrea Nann traces her matrilineal heritage in a new experiential interactive web performance that illuminates a collection of bold and inspiring experiences lived and felt by four generations of Chinese Canadian women growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Against the backdrop of gender inequality and anti-Chinese racism, Firehorse and Shadow combines elements of contemporary dance, shadow puppetry, interactive web design, animation, documentary film, photography, and story-telling to explore female lineage with a focus on the dualistic yin and yang elements expressed within the bodies, lives and choices of four generations of women. Working against and alongside the hearsay of family stories and Chinese medicine cycles and charts of astrological animal signs, two performers, Nann and shadow artist Annie Katsura Rollins, weave together passages of remembering and forgetting, inviting audience members into an intimate and brave reanimation of familial memory.  The Firehorse and Shadow web performance offers computer users a personalized journey using web technology to enhance their experience within this unique online event. 

VAHMS is thrilled to be partnering with Dreamwalker Dance for a special virtual presentation of Firehorse and Shadow for explorASIAN 2021!

Leo Cunanan, Jr. was born in the Philippines and moved with his family to Canada when he was 9 years old. His early interest was in music and he took up drum lessons from Drums Only at age 13.  At 21, he joined a band as a drummer and toured with Butch and The Sundance Kids professionally for a number of years. In the late 90’s, he studied graphic arts and worked as in-house graphic artist for a family-owned publication, Dahong Pilipino, the Filipino Canadian Community and Business Directory, of which he is now the president and publisher.

Leo developed a strong interest in fine arts upon meeting the maestro SYM Mendoza who provided him the inspiration to pursue an art career. “Everything I know in art, I learned from Tito SYM; he opened the door for me to discover my potentials and really enjoy painting more than anything else.” Leo works in pastel, charcoal, oil, watercolour; and also enjoys creating digital art.

Leo is the President of DIMASALANG III International Artist Group, founded by SYM Mendoza, Active Member of the Federation Of Canadian Artists and Member of The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)

March 8, 2021 11:45am to 1:45pm PST

International Women’s Day is just around the corner, on Monday, March 8, 2021. It’s a day for us to join voices with people around the world and celebrate all women, in all their diversities. It’s also a time to celebrate the achievements of women, whether social, political, economic or cultural.

The global theme for International Women’s Day in 2021 is ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.’ COVID-19 has impacted women and girls in profound ways, amplifying the inequalities they face every day.

In Canada, women have been on the front lines of this COVID-19 crisis, facing steep job losses and taking on more unpaid work. The Canada’s Feminist Response and Recovery Summit from March 8-9 will examine how COVID-19 is impacting the lives of women in Canada and what steps government, civil society and all Canadians can take to ensure an inclusive recovery by advancing gender equality.

We at the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society are proud that one of our VAHMS Patrons, Vivienne Poy, will be the first speaker in the session “Black and Other Racialized Women” on March 8, 2021 11:45am to 1:45pm PST, Vancouver time. To register for the summit, click here: https://gesummitfeministrecovery.ca/.

Registration ends Sunday, March 7.

Saturday, February 27th, 2021, 7:00 – 8:15pm PST

The Canadian Society for Asian Arts and the UBC Asian Library are presenting an online overview and demonstration of Chinese calligraphy. Renowned scholar Dr. Jan Walls will discuss this revered and popular art form, with a focus on the works of late Master Yim Tse, a dedicated librarian, celebrated calligrapher, devoted mentor and philanthropist. Introductions to “the four treasures of the scholar’s studio” (ink stick, ink stone, writing brush and paper), coupled with demonstrations by Yim’s senior disciples Greta Ho and Andrew Yang, will animate the talk. A Question & Answer period follows.Saturday, February 27th, 2021   7 – 8:15pm PSTThe Canadian Society for Asian Arts and the UBC Asian Library are presenting an online overview and demonstration of Chinese calligraphy. Renowned scholar Dr. Jan Walls will discuss this revered and popular art form, with a focus on the works of late Master Yim Tse, a dedicated librarian, celebrated calligrapher, devoted mentor and philanthropist. Introductions to “the four treasures of the scholar’s studio” (ink stick, ink stone, writing brush and paper), coupled with demonstrations by Yim’s senior disciples Greta Ho and Andrew Yang, will animate the talk. A Question & Answer period follows.

The event is presented by The Canadian Society for Asian Arts and the UBC Asian Library, with publicity support by explorASIAN

We are thrilled to present our first ever Virtual Gallery for our Interconnected Artist Spotlight. This body of work comes to us courtesy of VAHMS Director Bert Monterona. You click through the above link to visit this virtual space and interact with Bert’s work.

Artist Statement

This body of work illustrates and explains the thoughts and feelings that have directed my life for a long time. My vision is grounded on the principles of social, political and ecological justice. I am an activist and a person with a deep concern for the social and environmental issues that affect the lives of humans, animals and all living things. My concern is with the planet where I live and the future for all humanity.

My works showcased in this exhibit mark the transition I have recently made by moving to beautiful British Columbia from my homeland in the Philippines. The subject matter is inspired by my explorations of the natural environment through gardening, boating, fishing, hiking, and camping, on the West Coast and West Vancouver of British Columbia. My imagery fuses local inspiration with decorative motifs from my homeland.

About Bert:

Bert Monterona is a Filipino-Canadian visual artist living in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Monterona is actively involved as an educator, cultural worker, and active artist working in a wide variety of practices, including design, illustration, painting, murals, sculpture and installations. He also makes sets and builds props for stage performances and television shows. He just recently exhibited his Tapestry paintings in Gisors, France as a guest artist during the GRAND BAZ’ ART International Art Festival and in Hong Kong at Jockey Club Creative Arts Center. Internationally acclaimed, Monterona is a recipient of numerous grants and residencies between 1995 and the present, including the Western Australia Department of the Arts and the Australia Council for the Arts Grant; the University of Western Australia School of Architecture and Fine Arts and the Australian Embassy Philippines Residency Grant; and the Asian Artists Award of Vermont Studio Centre and the Freeman Foundation, U.S.A. Aside from his studio painting activities for galleries and art collectors, he is also active in social development advocacy work for non-governmental organizations and institutions by giving arts and cultural services for their education and information programs and campaigns.