“We aim to contextualize the historical, material, cultural and political conditions of visual cultural production by and about Asian diasporic communities across the Americas within current discussions on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and class, as well as aesthetics, affect and technologies of the visual,” writes Jim in her introduction to the journal.
The first issue was recently launched in both New York City and Montreal and will have a third launch in Vancouver this May. Jim, a native Montrealer of Chinese descent, is particularly glad that the journal is partly based in her hometown.
The journal is a new partnership between Concordia’s Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art and NYU’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute. “We have had tremendous support from the Faculty of Fine Arts to help base the journal here at Concordia. I’m so glad that this journal can be part of the new thinking about cultural diversity in Montreal and beyond,” says Jim.
Artful recognition
Jim’s work in this field is already resonating – in recognition of her outstanding contribution to contemporary art in Canada, she was recently awarded the Artexte Prize.
The award committee stated that, “the thorough and always insightful manner in which Jim has conducted her research activities throughout her career has contributed to a better understanding of the ethnocultural dimension of art history, while bringing to light the work of artists from all over the world.”
Jim has received research support from the Fonds de recherche sur la societé et la culture (FQRSC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for her research on contemporary Chinese art.
Obtain free access to Asian Diasporic Visual Cultures and the Americas through 2016.
Research in action
Through her work with the Ethnocultural Art Histories Research group, Jim’s students are about to launch two new exhibitions and a corresponding catalogue, EAHR @ ARTEXTE: Uncovering Asian Canadian and Black Canadian Artistic Production.
The exhibitions are the culmination of an intensive research-based residency at Artexte, focused on promoting the representation and visibility of artworks and artists from these two ethnocultural communities, historically under-represented in Canada’s art scene.
Both exhibitions will be presented at the Department of Art History, Concordia (EV.3809) and at Artexte (2 Sainte-Catherine St. E., Suite 301) from April 1 until April 30.
The catalogue’s official launch is taking place at Artexte on Thursday, April 2 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Visit the Ethnocultural Art Histories Research group site for more information.
