belonging – Chun Hua Catherine Dong

La Biennale de Quebec – Manif D’art 8

My work, ” Husbands and I,” will be exhibited at La Biennale de Quebec in Feb 17 – May 14, 2017

Exhibition Date: Feb 17 – May 14, 2017
Opening: Feb 19 at 3:00pm
Address: 2 rue Cremazie Est, Quebec, CA

Husbands and I is a social performance wherein I navigate my own relationship to Western culture through one-minute and one-day relationships with white men. I started the “Husbands and I” performance in 2009 in Vancouver, where I wore a traditional Chinese dress and asked white males on streets to have photo taken with me by suggesting them to be my husbands for a minute. I have had photos with 325 men. In 2010, I posted classified advertisements describing myself as “an exotic, compliant and artistic Asian girl looking for a white husband who would like to take me to his home to live with him for a day as his mail order bride,” and recorded videos of my experiences living for one day with each ad respondent.

For more info about the Biennale
For more info about one-minute husbands
For more info about one-day husbands
For more info about the installation at Museum of University of Toronto, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, and PAVED Art

Performance – 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art

My performance, ” The Arrival,” will be performed at 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art, Toronto, Canada

Performance: The Arrival
Time:7:30 pm, October 14, 2016
Location: Geary Lane , 360 Geary Avenue, Toronto

“The Arrival” is a participatory research-based performance that examines identity, place, and belonging through languages and gestures. This performance starts from field research where I ask random people I meet on streets to say, “ Where are you from?” with different tones and emotions, I record their voices. I also invite people who I cannot meet in person to participate by asking them to record their own voices of saying“ Where are you from?” and send them to me. The final project will be presented at 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art in Toronto where I use the recorded voices, salt, and paper boats to respond my research.

For more about the work
For more about the Festival