Shellie Zhang

Shellie Zhang
Born1991 (age 32–33)
Beijing, China
Websiteshelliezhang.com

Shellie Zhang (born 1991) is a Chinese multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto, Ontario.[1][2]

Zhang is known for work that examines identity, diaspora, gender and tradition.[3][2]

Her 2018 exhibit A Place for Wholesome Amusement re-imagined marquees for 285 Spadina in Toronto, which previously housed the Standard Theater, a Yiddish playhouse, and the Golden Harvest Theatre, which screened kung-fu films to parallel the histories of immigrant communities in the same space at different points in time.[4][5][6] The work was inspired by research conducted at the Ontario Jewish Archives.[6][5]

Zhang's book Fusion Cuisine, Now with Added MSG! (2018), published with the Art Gallery of York University, looks at the MSG a seasoning additive in Chinese cooking and the role xenophobia played in modern attitudes about the ingredient.[7][8]

In 2019, Zhang created a project from research in the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan, the Moosejaw Archives and Library and the City of Saskatoon Archives about the stories of early Chinese settlers in the prairies.[9] The project, Believe it or Not, presented her findings and included seminal stories of Chinese Canadian history such as the Supreme Court of Canada case Quong Wing v.R.[9]

During the 2022–2023 season, Zhang's Beacons was featured along Toronto's Bentway skating trail.[10][11] Her work and the Bentway's programming was centred on creating a warm public space for newcomers experiencing their first winter in Canada.[12]

On December 16, 2022, she began as artist in residence at The Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego until January 15, 2023.[1]

In 2023, her public art project, Flowers Between, presented a visual and historical parallel between two early Chinese Canadian businesses located in the Region of Waterloo.

Zhang's work is in public collections such as the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the McMaster Museum of Art.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b "Shellie Zhang: What We Bring and Leave". Institute of Contemporary Art. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Art in the Spotlight: Shellie Zhang". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  3. ^ Chuen, Lorraine (9 April 2020). "Offerings to both Past and Future: Still Life Photographs by Shellie Zhang". BlackFlash Magazine. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. ^ Whyte, Murray (22 May 2018). "Two neon forms on College Street are reminders of Toronto's immigrant past". thestar.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b "A Place for Wholesome Amusement". www.ontariojewisharchives.org. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b Wong, Annie. "Shellie Zhang Recovers Spectral Traces from a Diasporic Past". Canadian Art. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Fusion Cuisine: With Added MSG!". Art Gallery of York University. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  8. ^ Pasipanodya, Chiedza (17 December 2021). "FAIR SHAKE". West End Phoenix. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Believe it or not-Work". AKA. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  10. ^ ""First Winter" Programming at The Bentway". The Bentway. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Attention, Toronto artists. Local landmarks are looking to exhibit your work". CBC News. January 15, 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. ^ Reporter, Nicholas Keung Immigration (2022-12-25). "First winters in Canada can be a shock. How one program is helping newcomers find warmth in the Canadian cold". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  13. ^ "The Ties That Bind - The Robert McLaughlin Gallery". 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  14. ^ Art, McMaster Museum of. "Recent Acquisitions". McMaster Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-11-22.