Shirley Tse in Conversation: From Stakeholders to Searching for Zero Impact Sculpture

Shirley Tse in Conversation: From Stakeholders to Searching for Zero Impact Sculpture

“What does a sculptural practice look like when it is sustainable for our ecosystem, finances, and mental health?”

Shirley Tse is an acclaimed California-based, Hong Kong-born artist whose sculptural and installation-based practice interrogates questions of place, politics, and ecology. Her recent work critically examines injustices embedded within contemporary art infrastructures, particularly through sculpture’s reliance on material extraction and production, fabrication, transportation, and the use of physical space.

Focusing on Tse’s projects since her solo presentation representing Hong Kong at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, this talk considers the stakes of artistic practice amid overlapping democratic and climate crises. The presentation will be followed by a moderated discussion with Olivia Chow, Director of Curatorial Programs, Chinese Canadian Museum.

The talk will take place in D1400, the Interactive Motion Capture Studio (IMS), located on the first floor.

RSVP recommended here.

DIRECTIONS:

Enter through the main entrance of ECU (555 Great Northern Way), turn right and walk down the main hall to the farthest set of stairs leading to the lower flower.

Shirley Tse lives and works in California. She has created sculptural interventions that interrogate notions of place, politics, and ecology. Her work has been exhibited widely in the United States and internationally at venues including the Biennale of Sydney, MoMA PS1, and SFMOMA. At the 58th Venice Biennale, Tse was the first female artist to represent Hong Kong in a solo exhibition. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (2009) and Anonymous Was A Woman Award (2024). Her work has been featured in several Phaidon books including "Great Women Sculptors" (2024), "Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life" (2015), and Sculpture Today (2007).

Olivia Chow is Director of Curatorial Programs at the Chinese Canadian Museum, where she leads exhibitions, interpretive content, and public programs. Her work centres on dialogue with Chinese Canadian and diasporic communities, exploring intergenerational narratives, Asian diasporic histories, and artist-led collaboration. Before joining the museum in 2025, she spent over a decade in Hong Kong, most recently as Assistant Curator at M+, where she curated major projects including Trevor Yeung: Courtyard of Attachments (2024) and Shirley Tse: Stakeholders (2019), both presented as Hong Kong’s Collateral Events at the Venice Biennale. She previously held curatorial roles at Para Site, Hong Kong, and The Works Art and Design Festival in Edmonton.

Co-presented by the Audain Faculty of Art at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the Chinese Canadian Museum.

https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/programs/artist-talk-shirley-tse