SHARYN A. YUEN

I AM. AM I (2005)
4 framed photographs - pigment on arches paper

I AM. AM I (2005)
4 framed photographs - pigment on arches paper

Yesterday
Chinese Migration to Canada

Many of the Chinese women, known as "excluded wives", were unable to immigrate to Canada to be with their husbands because of the Canadian Government's Exclusion Act 1923-1947.

My mother, one of these "excluded wives" only reconnected with her Chinese Canadian husband 12 years after they were married....after the Second World War ended....after the Exclusion Act was repealed.

Many of these women were then received as the number 2 or 3 or 4 wife.

Today
Chinatown Care Home. Victoria, British Columbia.

Once again a community of women living together from the same district of southern China.
Early immigrants....a slow boat from China.

Now in their late 80s, 90s, 100+
They share common lived experiences...in the old country...in the new country.

As they enter this passage of their lives....
Their complex histories
Immigration, family, stories...start to fade into a depth of silence.

I AM. AM I
Portrays the matriarch. Directness, strength, endurance.
That now shifts to fragility and innocence within.
Their gaze...quietness, solitude, reverie, resonance
Holds a look to engage and to be recognized....

BIOGRAPHY:

Yuen is a photo-based artist trained in Japanese and European papermaking traditions. Her work addresses issues of racism and identity related to the history of Chinese migration to Canada. She has exhibited widely in Canada, England, Scotland, Japan and France.