Objects given to my mom because she is A…
Objects given to my mom because she is Asian
By Kyla Bourgh
Curated by Richmond Art Gallery in partnership with Richmond Public Art
Kyla Bourgh’s installation at Lansdowne Station presents objects that were given to the artist’s mother over the past 50 years. Each object was gifted to her because of her physical and cultural identity. These gifts are thematically ‘Asian’ in style and although they were offered in kindness, they unconsciously expressed to her that she is and always will be a visible minority in the farming community she lived in rural British Columbia.
Through this work, the artist considers the unconscious biases placed on her mother and how that differs from the artist’s own lived experience as being white-passing and of mixed ethnicity.
The objects photographed exist in an unclear cultural locale which challenges the viewer to unpack their owndiscriminations and perspectives. Within the diverse culture of people who live in Richmond, and within Canada, questions are raised within this dichotomy among a sense of belonging and of being stereotyped within a country that many have resided in for many generations.
Presented in partnership with Capture Photography Festival and the Canada Line Public Art Program – InTransitBC
