It seems my earlier "Trumpet" group exhibition at Latitude 53 gallery was actually part of the "The Works" Edmonton arts festival. At the time the photographs were showing I was not sure if the exhibition was connected with "The Works" or not.
I found this "Works" blog post today. It is nice to have the photography reviewed for once. Reviewed, imagine that, not just advertised or mentioned in a newspaper, but instead thought of and written about in a critical, informative and constructive way.
Here is a link to that blog entry and reprint of the "Families of the Dump" section written by Yang Lim, thank you Mr. Lim:
http://www.theworks.ab.ca/the-works-blog/2017/7/3/broadening-the-dialogue-remaking-the-canadian-nation-by-yang-lim
I found this "Works" blog post today. It is nice to have the photography reviewed for once. Reviewed, imagine that, not just advertised or mentioned in a newspaper, but instead thought of and written about in a critical, informative and constructive way.
Here is a link to that blog entry and reprint of the "Families of the Dump" section written by Yang Lim, thank you Mr. Lim:
http://www.theworks.ab.ca/the-works-blog/2017/7/3/broadening-the-dialogue-remaking-the-canadian-nation-by-yang-lim
Similarly, Gerry Yaum’s photographs of impoverished people in Thailand also draw attention to unrecognized stories and experiences that have not typically been part of the mainstream discourse. Despite their economic circumstances, Yaum’s work does not portray them simplistically as powerless victims with which viewers are asked to sympathize. Instead, they are depicted as individuals with dignity and whose lives are not solely defined by their poverty; they are able to make a home for themselves, even though it is located in a garbage dump. This does not discount the reality of their impoverished circumstances, but Yaum’s representation of them avoids stereotyping them as a collective group as his photos depict them as individuals with their own unique personalities and circumstances.
Taken together, these are some of the exhibits in this year’s Works festival that approach the subject of the Canadian nation in their own ways. What can be seen from this artwork is that Canada as a nation is composed not simply of one national narrative, but rather multiple narratives arising out of specific historical, political, and cultural circumstances that are continually in the process of being reconfigured anew by people in the present. It is these narratives and the dialogue generated by them that comprise the ongoing body of stories about Canada.
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| Gerry Yaum photography exhibit at Latitude 53 |
