Laiwan facts for kids

Laiwan (born in 1961) is a talented artist, writer, and teacher from Zimbabwe. She is also a curator, which means she helps organize art shows, and a gallerist, meaning she helps run art galleries. Her work often explores deep ideas about poetry and philosophy. Laiwan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

About Laiwan's Life

Laiwan was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1961. Her family moved to Canada in 1977. They left Zimbabwe to escape a war happening in the country at that time.

She studied art at Emily Carr College of Art and Design. She graduated in 1983. Later, in 1999, she earned a master's degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.

Laiwan is known for her art that combines different forms. She is interested in how art can explore ideas about poetry and deep thinking. She has won several awards for her work. One important award was the Emily Award in 2021 from Emily Carr University.

Founding the Or Gallery

In 1983, Laiwan started the Or Gallery. She wanted to show that it was possible to create and run an art gallery. She especially wanted to encourage women to do so. Other people later helped establish the Or Gallery Society in 1984. Laiwan also led the board of directors for the grunt gallery from 2010 to 2014.

Today, Laiwan teaches art at Goddard College. This college is located in Washington State.

Exploring Art Through Practice

Laiwan's art explores how we experience things with our bodies. She uses different ways to create her art. These include performances, writing, music, and audio works. Her art often looks at the idea of "presence." This means being fully aware and connected to your feelings and body.

Her artworks are part of important collections. You can find them at the Vancouver Art Gallery. They are also at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery. Other private collectors own her work too. Her video and audio art is available from VIVO Media Arts Centre in Vancouver. It is also available from V-Tape in Toronto.

Early Artistic Creations

In 1986, Laiwan created a slide show called The Mesmerization of Language: The Language of Mesmerization. This artwork looked at how language works. It explored how language has its own life, separate from what it means.

Understanding Language in Art

This artwork had three main parts.

• Part One was called "OBSESSION : POSSESSION." It showed a poem called Sappho 31. The poem was shown in both its original Greek language and in English.
• Part Two was named "SPELL." In this part, Laiwan took the Christian prayer Our Father. She translated it from sign language into words. Then, she broke the text apart. She looked at it phrase by phrase, word by word, and even letter by letter.
• Part Three was simply called "Untitled." This section moved away from language. It showed images of landscapes instead.

Stephen Hogbin wrote about Laiwan's art in 1989. He said she explores how geography and identity are connected. This means how where you live can shape who you are.

Exhibitions and Projects

Laiwan's art has been shown in many places. She has had solo shows, which feature only her work. She has also been part of group shows with other artists.

Solo Art Exhibitions

• Laiwan: Traces, Erasures, Resists, The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, UBC, 2022
• How Water Remembers, Massy Arts, Vancouver, 2021
• Fountain, The Wall at the CBC Plaza, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, 2015
• Loose Work, Or Gallery, Vancouver, 2008 and On Main, 2008
• Duet: Étude For Solitudes, YYZ Artist’s Outlet / Images Festival, Toronto, 2006
• Quartet for the year 4698 or 5760: Improvisation for four projectors, with Lori Freedman, Open Space Gallery, Victoria, 2002

Group Art Exhibitions

• Urban Screen, with PANDEMIA — the movie, Libby Leshgold Gallery, 2021-2022
• Thought, outside, Curated by Amy Kazymerchyk, Western Front, Vancouver, 2020
• Beginning with the Seventies: GLUT, Curated by Lorna Brown, The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, UBC, 2018
• Through A Window: Visual Art and SFU 1965–2015; SFU Galleries, Vancouver and Burnaby, BC, 2015
• Da Bao: Take Out, Plug In ICA, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC, 2013
• Da Bao: Take Out, Curated by Shannon Anderson / Doug Lewis, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, ON, Mississauga Art Gallery. ON, 2012
• c.1983: Parts 1&2, Curated by Helga Pakasaar, Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver, BC, 2012
• Everything Everyday, Curated by Bruce Grenville, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC, 2010
• How Soon Is Now: Contemporary Art from Here, Curated by Kathleen Ritter, Vancouver Art Gallery, 2009
• Limits of Tolerance: Re-framing Multicultural State Policy, Centre A Gallery, Vancouver, BC, 2007
• Group Search: Art in the Library, Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver, BC, 2007
• rupture : rupture, Artspeak, Vancouver, BC

Art in Public Spaces

Laiwan has also created art for specific locations. These are called site-specific works.

• In 2016, she created Barnacle City. This artwork was part of Vancouver's Public Art Program. It was projected onto different buildings in downtown Vancouver.
• In 2018, Laiwan started Mobile Barnacle City Live/Work Studio. This was an art installation inside a special bus. The bus was part of a project by Emily Carr University. Mobile Barnacle City was set up in various places around Chinatown in Vancouver.

Curating Art Shows

In 2014, Laiwan worked as a curator for an exhibition. The exhibition was called Queering the International. It was part of the Queer Arts Festival. The show took place at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. This exhibition explored different ways people see themselves and their identities.