The Asian Library and its partners are pleased to present two displays – Identiverse and Dimensions of the Asian World at UBC – as part of the Asian Library Open House 2011.
The Asian Library worked with UBC’s Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory on the project. Viewers are invited to conceptualize “Asianness” as a construct in Canada by examining various cultural products – paintings, writings, photographs, quotations, images and video clippings, facts and figures. Alongside the growing Asian student population at UBC is a rich array of Asian-themed activities, the ever-expanding Asian Studies programs and research, and the participation of non-Asian students and staff in these initiatives.
By featuring the 2010 Maclean’s article entitled “‘Too Asian’?” alongside B.C. responses to the segregation of coloured students from Caucasian children in the 1920s, viewers are prompted to ponder the tension between coercive practices of exclusion and assimilation. Excerpts of UBC’s forum on the thought-provoking Maclean’s article, as well as quotes from the Library’s Diversity Caucus discussion on the same piece, capture some thoughts about the Asian world on campus.
The displays are augmented by the creative works of Associate Professor Gu Xiong and his students. Identiverse, a combination of “identity” and “diversity,” explores the transitions and struggles of ethnic groups regarding their individual and cultural identities. The identities of university students are also examined.
The exhibits will be on display at the UBC Asian Centre Auditorium and the upper floor of the Asian Library at the following times:
March 13: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
March 14 to 17: noon to 5 p.m.
Mar 18: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
All are welcome to attend the debuting party, which takes place on March 13 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium.
For more information, please contact Eleanor Yuen at eleanor.yuen@ubc.ca or Phoebe Chow at phoebe.chow@ubc.ca
Co-organizers
Asian Library, UBC
Art History + Visual Art + Theory, UBC
Sponsor
Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
Collaborators
Institute of Asian Research
Chinese Language Program, Asian Studies Department
Punjabi Language, Literature & Sikh Studies, Asian Studies Department
