Canadian Society for Asian Arts

The Society is proud of its four decades of accomplishment. Since its establishment, the Society has created over 500 quality programs and events that included exhibitions, art shows, performing arts events, lectures, slide shows, discussion panels and demonstrations, excursions and special tours.

  2009-2010

2010 Cultural Olympiad Event

Feb 11 - 28, 2010
Spirit of Place: Beijing, Vancouver & London Young Artists Exhibition-Olympic Themes
Location: Chinese Cultural Center Museum, Zodiac Square, Vancouver, B.C. 50 East Pender Street
February 11th – 28th, 2010
10:00 – 5:00 daily closed Monday

Opening Reception: 5:00pm February 17, 2010

CSAA Cultural Olympiad webpace

Click the logos for more information!

The Spirit of Place Project is a programme that celebrates the art of young artists from past, present and future Olympic cities: Beijing, Vancouver and London.  Art in the exhibition explores the pillar themes of the Olympics.

Bamboo Welcome Gates
Location: Chinatown Zodiac Square
Feb 11 - 28, 2010


"Olympic Wish Cards" for visitors to write down their Olympic wishes



Visitors tie their Olympic wishes on the bamboo/cedar gates in Chinatown.



Bamboo/cedar Welcome Gate at the Zodiac Square in Chinatown, Vancouver, B.C.

Asian Zodiac Creatures Folk Art Exhibition
Location: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Feb 11 - Mar 21, 2010

Bamboo Welcome Gates and mobile art studios will greet visitors to Chinatown and Zodiac Square. Visitors to the exhibitions will participate in happenings and make “Olympic Wishes”.  Since the 2010 Olympics coincide with Asian New Year, the story of the “race” among the Asian zodiac creatures will be featured in displays of Asian folk art figures.  CSAA partners for this official Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad are VANOC, City of Vancouver-City Happenings, Chinese Cultural Centre, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens, Arts Umbrella, Save the Children Canada, Beijing Bright Fine Arts School and Olympic Development Authority, London. An official opening event will be scheduled between Feb. 12th and early March.

It's a 'Happening'!

    Happenings are City of Vancouver-funded activities, events and legacy projects taking place in city neighbourhoods in the months leading up to and during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in February and March 2010. Host a City Happening events reflect the Olympic and Paralympic values of friendship, solidarity, peace, fair play, optimism, inspiration and empowerment.
   To find out more, visit vancouver. ca

  “Kabuki in Print” Exhibition

March 25 – May 16, 2010
Asian Library upper floor (1871 West Mall, Vancouver)
Curator: Maiko Behr


“Bandō Takesaburō as Narihira at Chiryū” from the series (Actor Parallels) 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō by Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1865), private collection

In celebration of the Asian Library’s 50th anniversary and in anticipation of the performance of Kabuki Dance featuring guest artists from Japan at the Frederic Wood Theatre on April 10 & 11, The Canadian Society for Asian Arts presents an exhibition that examines the intimate relationship between the woodblock printing medium and the kabuki theatre. Depicting theatre scenes based on dramatic contemporary current and historical events as well as canonical literary sources, these images document the wide thematic range of Edo-period popular entertainment.


“Sawamura Tanosuke III as O-Shizu” (detail) by Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900), private collection

The exhibition draws from private print collections supplemented by art historical publications from the UBC Library collection. Highlights include several original Japanese woodblock prints from the 18th to 20th centuries by actor print specialists Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825), Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), and Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900).

“Kabuki in Print” is curated by Maiko Behr and presented by the Canadian Society for Asian Arts in conjunction with UBC Asian Library. Open during Asian Library open hours M-Th 9-8, F 9-5, Sat. 12-5, closed Sun. Free admission.

  Exhibition: The Vanishing Courtyards in Beijing --    Watercolour Paintings by Weizhi Zhang

May 1-30, 2010
Opening reception: Sunday May 2nd, 2010 2-4pm
Hall of One Hundred Rivers, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall Street, Vancouver B.C. V6B 5K2

Weizhi Zhang, Forest, Flower and Fragrant Grass 林花芳草,
watercolour, 2009
Beijing Cao Chang San Tiao No. 13 (demolished)
北京崇文區草場三條十三號（已拆毀）

Beijing based artist Weizhi Zhang captured various types of Beijing courtyard gates on his watercolour canvases. Beijing quadrangle courtyards are the most elaborate examples of Chinese vernacular dwelling. Their ethnological character and variations of style, along with their delicate but powerful decorative elements, are of significant historic value and cultural meaning. Since the late 1990’s, these courtyards have been demolished to make way for modern high rise buildings. The exhibition will also present illustrations and maps of the City of Beijing. Curator: Yue Zhang.

Sunday September 27, 2009 3:00pm
An Afternoon with Fumie von Dehn - Designer and Collector of Kimonos

This event is hosted by Willem and Rosalie Stronck at 3670 Cameron Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V6R 1A2 

Sunday September 27th 3:00pm
Admission $10. (All money goes to CSAA Programs.)
Only 20 chairs available. Standing audience is welcome. Please RSVP csaa@telus.net
Because of the limited space, we regrettably cannot invite young children to this event.

      

Fumie will be giving a short talk on the history of the kimono and will describe how she is using this amazing material to make her clothing. She wants as many people as possible to realize how silk is used in many different ways in Japan, for example, how it is woven, how it is dyed, how it is worn and how long it can last.  She will also be selling kimonos, silk and her own unique pieces after the talk. Fumie hopes that this event will lead to a greater interest in silk and the kimono in Vancouver.

Fumie von Dehn started her career in fashion as a stylist for a TV company and other advertising companies in Japan. At the same time, she was also interested in cooking and eventually opened her own restaurant in the mid 1990’s. While running the restaurant, she started collecting vintage kimonos which sparked an interest in making her own clothing using the kimonos and other silk material that she acquired with her mother. She decided to close her restaurant and focused all her energies on making clothing. In 2000, she had a contract to sell her pieces with a popular boutique in Sendai, Japan. This continued until she came to Vancouver in 2004. She has since put on 4 different events promoting her fashion and kimono collection including a display she created for the Vancouver Opera. She recently returned from Japan with more silk and kimonos and has been busy creating a new collection haute couture pieces. She is thrilled that the Canadian Society for Asian Arts has generously offered to host a lecture and show for her work.

Winter 2009
Evidence of an Ephemeral Art: Antique Cantonese Opera Materials at the Museum of Anthropology
Lecture by Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, Curator of Asian Art, Museum of Anthropology
Date, time and location to be announced.

August, 2009
Korean Hanji Papermaking and Hanji in Contemporary Art
Lecture by Sang-Jae Nam
August 12, 7:30pm. Admission by donation.
Theatre (Room 301) Emily Carr University of Art & Design
1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver V6H 3R9
(Volunteers will guide you to the theatre.)
150 seats available. Members of CSAA have priority seating.

Download the information brochure.


Umbrellas made of hanji paper.
Image courtesy of Sang-Jae Nam

The lecture event will be the first opportunity for Vancouver students, artists and the general public to learn about both the traditional and contemporary craft of Korean papermaking by a renowned, published Korean artist.

In collaboration with the Crafts Council of British Columbia (CCBC), CSAA presents a lecture on Korean hanji papermaking in conjunction of the exhibition “Fibre, Naturally - Paper Like You Have Never Seen It Before” (August 11-16) at the Concourse Gallery, Emily Carr University. The exhibition features objects and garments made of Korean hanji paper by both B.C. and Korean artists.

Hanji samples will be available for audience to take home and make DIY Joomchi crafts.

Other Related Events:

August 11-16 Concourse Gallery, Emily Carr University
Exhibition: Fibre, Naturally - Paper Like You Have Never Seen It Before
Gallery hours: Tuesday to Friday 8am to 6pm; Saturday 9am - 6pm and Sunday, 9am - 5pm

Tuesday August 11 - CCBC Fundraising Gala
For tickets, please visit www.ccbc.net

Thursday August 13 - Fashion Show
7:30pm, tickets are $20 and will be available after June 1 through Bonnie Adie; badie@telus.net or 604-988-3240

There will also be demonstrations by the visiting Korean artists and others, and an opportunity to buy some of the wonderful hanji papers at a place and time to be determined.

August 8 - 17
The 9th Sang-Jae Nam Contemporay  Textile Arts & Hanji Exhibition
Opening Reception: Saturday , August 8, 6-8 pm
Studio Art Gallery, Capilano University
2055 Purcell Way,North Vancouver ,BC, V7J 3H5
Gallery Hour: Monday-Friday 9;00am-4:00pm
Location: Upper floor of the Studio Art building

June 2009
Two-Day Trip to Victoria, B.C. June 11-12, 2009
June 11
The Curator of Asian Art, Mr. Barry Till, will give us a private tour of the exhibition Edo: Arts of Japan's Last Shogun Age (1603-1868) following his lecture Samurai: the Cultured Warrior at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
June 12
We will be visiting the exhibition Treasures: the World’s Cultures from the British Museum at the Royal BC Museum and The Abkhazi Garden and Tea Room.

You are responsible for your own travel arrangements and all related costs. Please RSVP by Monday June 8th 5pm, 604-689-2755, csaa@telus.net
Suggested hotels:
Queen Victoria Hotel
Harbour Towers Hotel & Suite

May, 2009 - Asian Heritage Month
More than a Love Letter:
Vermeer’s Painting in an Era of Global Trade
Lecture by Dr. Timothy Brook
In association with the exhibition Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art, Vancouver Art Gallery
Tuesday May 19, 2009 7:00 pm followed by reception
(Tuesday, Thursday: 5-9pm admission by donation)
Please RSVP csaa@telus.net, 604-689-2755.
This event is sponsored by CSAA and Vancouver Art Gallery

Vermeer’s paintings appear to take their subjects, and us, out of the real world into an idealized, timeless place. In fact, Vermeer was busily painting the world in which he lived, and that was a world of global trade. Starting from Vermeer’s The Love Letter, this talk will explore the presence of the larger world, especially Asia, in the paintings of Vermeer and his contemporaries.

Dr. Timothy Brook is the Principal of St. John’s College at UBC, and the Shaw Professor of Chinese at Oxford University. He is a specialist in Chinese history, with an interest in the historical connections between China and world. His most recent books are Vermeer’s Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World (Penguin) and Death by a Thousand Cuts (Harvard).

Rosalie Stronck, the co-organizer of this lecture and CSAA’s liason with the Vancouver Art Gallery, holds a diploma in Asian Art Studies from the British Museum and the University of London. Her connections with the Asian Art world comes from her life-long interest in the arts of Asia.

This event is among the activities of the Vanouver Asian Heritage Month Festival 2009.

April 2009
Private Docent-led Tour of exhibition:
“Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur”
April 15, 2009
Please see exhibition information

March 2009
Buddhist and Hindu Pilgrims – Places in India and Burma
Slideshow by Rosalie and Willem Stronck
March 10, 2009 7:00pm
Hosted by: Mr. and Mrs. Willem Stronck, Directors, CSAA

Febriary 2009
Spirit of Place: Beijing-China Young Artists Exhibition, 2009
Concourse Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver
February 16 – March 1, 2009, free and open to public
Curator: Sam Carter
http://spiritofplace.ecuad.ca/
http://www.citizenvoices.gg.ca/en/blogs/rideau_hall/235

The Spirit of Place: Beijing-China Young Artists Exhibition was curated during the summer of 2008 from thousands of paintings created by young artists from all parts of China through workshops organized by the Beijing Bright Fine Arts School, prior to the Beijing 2008 Olympics. 35 selected works of art reflect the young artist’s interpretations of Olympic pillars: Culture, Sport and Sustainability (Environment).

CSAA has partnered with Beijing Bright Fine Arts School, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Save the Children Canada, and Arts Umbrella.  Each Beijing-China young artist participating in the exhibition has received a Certificate of Participation.

The exhibition will travel after its opening scheduled from February to March 1st, 2009.  A special ceremony and formal opening of the exhibition took place on Wednesday February 18th  at 5:00 at the Emily Carr University Concourse Gallery-1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island.  Young musicians from the Cheun Ying Arts Centre welcomed visitor with their Chinese Guzheng music.

During the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, the Spirit of Place: Beijing Chinese Young Artist Exhibition will join the Spirit of Place: British Columbia Young Artists Exhibition as a bilateral exhibition presented by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, Canadian Society for Asian Arts and Emily Carr University of Art and Design. You will hear more about this special exhibition and happening staged at the Chinese Cultural Center in Chinatown.