Family, belonging, and identity at Centre A's new exhibit

When you no longer share the same mother tongue as your ancestors, how does it speak to your cultural identity?

Cold Tea Collective paid a visit to (dis)location (dis)connect (dis)appearance, a new exhibit at Centre A that explores the complexities of intergenerational relationships. The exhibit features five emerging artists who reinterpret traditional crafts as tools for self-reflection on family, belonging, and identity.

Photo: ‘A Labor of Labor’ by Florence Yee stitches the generational divide between differing understandings of work ethic and aspiration between generations.

Curated by Diane Wong, a 1.5 generation Chinese-Canadian, the concept was inspired by her own intergenerational relationship with her grandmother during a family emergency in 2018.

“I was interested in seeing how different people approach the topic of intergenerational relationships, and the gap that they have with previous generations,” said Wong.

“When I first started this, I thought, ‘This is something I’m going through,’ but then slowly as I met more artists and people from the community, the more I realized that this is a very common experience.”

The selected works highlight the shared experiences of her peers who explore the spaces, tensions and nuances of cultural disconnect. Featured artists include Aaniya Asrani, Olivia Chan, Cheyenne Rain LeGrande, Reyhaneh Yazdani, and Florence Cing-Gaai Ye.

“I want people to realize that our generation has a very hybrid identity. We’re not exactly like our parents. We’re not exactly like our grandparents. We’re something in between.”

Photo: ‘Ties to Mother’ by Olivia Chan reveals an intimate portrait of mother and daughter hand-in-hand, produced in collaboration with Chan’s mother.

Wong hopes that the exhibit will spark conversations on the importance of transferring culture and tradition between generations.

The exhibit is located in Centre A’s newly unveiled location on the second floor of the Sun Wah Centre at 268 Keefer Street in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. (dis)location (dis)connect (dis)appearance will be showing until August 10.

Follow Centre A on Instagram and Facebook for updates and future exhibits.

Devon Wong

Devon is a Canadian media producer with international experience in digital, news and TV production.

Devon has produced content for a number of organizations, including the City of Vancouver, Samsung, the University of British Columbia, and the David Suzuki Foundation. Her words have appeared in Philippine Airlines' in-flight magazine Mabuhay, Coconuts Manila, in addition to other publications.

In 2012, she moved to the Philippines as a Princeton-in-Asia fellow with Rappler.com, the Philippines' fastest growing social media-based news agency. As an independent video journalist, she produced a number of human-interest features on topics including HIV testing, condom usage, religious rituals, transgender dating, and cockfighting. After Typhoon Haiyan, she joined the United Nations Human Settlements Programme to document ongoing recovery and reconstruction efforts.

In 2014, Devon moved to Singapore to work with Asia’s largest independent production house, Beach House Pictures, as a TV Producer, where her first television series she produced and directed for Channel NewsAsia – Singapore's Finest – won the 2015 Asian Television Award for Best Sports Programme.

Devon is currently based in Vancouver and works with Minerva BC in their mission towards gender equality by supporting women and girls in their leadership development. In her spare time, she can be found interviewing filmmakers at the Vancouver International Film Festival, volunteering in Chinatown, producing events with the Living Room Series, or grabbing coffee with students through the UBC Tri-Mentoring Program.