BILLBOARD COMMISSION 2011
Self-portrait in Rice Paper
Self-portrait in Rice Paper (2011)
by
Johnson Ngo
September 14, 2011 - May 1, 2012
William Davis Building
Bernie Miller Billboard/Lightbox, UTM campus
Every Fall the Blackwood Gallery commissions an artist to produce a work for the Bernie Miller Lightbox, a billboard sized (268.0 cm x 176.5 cm, 108" x 72") venue installed on the outside of the William Davis Building (formerly known as South Building) where the two wings of the building meet at the end of "Five Minute Walk". The commissioned work stays throughout the school year. In the summer, the Lightbox displays the original work by Bernie Miller, 5-Minute Mirror (2001), which inaugurated the site.
— CURATORIAL STATEMENT
— ARTIST BIO
— MAP
— RELATED PROJECTS
— SOCIAL MEDIA
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CURATORIAL STATEMENT
Mining the materials, gestures and traditions of his Vietnamese culture, Johnson Ngo explores physical acceptance and gender identity in his performance-based practice. In Self-portrait in Rice Paper, Ngo adopts traditional poses and wet drapery techniques from Greek sculpture by using layers of rice paper to obscure gendered markings on his body. According to the artist, these masking gestures “create a veil to emphasize the contrast between my exposed ‘yellow’ skin, black hair and the whiteness of the rice paper.” Photographed on the grounds of the UTM campus, the image balances elements of drama, tension and beauty in Ngo’s suggestive portrayal of intimate yet public exposure, made all the more poignant at this monumental scale.
Self-portrait in Rice Paper is part of the exhibition Viva Voce: 40th Anniversary of the Art & Art History Program on from September 14 to October 23, 2011. For more information on the full exhibition, please click here.
Acknowledgements
The artist would like to tank Paola Savasta, Carly Whitefield, Jennifer Chan, Mallory Hazlett, Jessica Vallentin, Allyson Mitchell, and Deirdre Logue for their ongoing assistance and support.
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ARTIST BIO
Johnson Ngo has exhibited at the Blackwood Gallery, SPARK Contemporary Art Space, Hart House, Toronto Free Gallery/7a*11d, Mississauga Living Arts Centre, the University of Toronto Art Centre, and performed in LEITMOTIF for the 2011 edition of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. In addition to his artistic practice, Ngo has contributed his administrative efforts to organizations such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, Trinity Square Video, Toronto Animated Image Society, and Reel Asian Film Festival.
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MAP
Click here for more campus maps
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RELATED PROJECTS
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Facebook Event: Viva Voce
Johnson Ngo
Self-portrait in Rice Paper
2011 Billboard Commission
Johnson Ngo
September 14, 2011 - May 1, 2012
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