Ho Tam – A Quotation by Susan Sontag 引用自苏珊·桑塔格

July 30, 2020 Pride in Chinatown

Courage is as contagious as fear
勇气和恐惧一样有感染力

Location: Access Gallery, 222 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7

In the words of the artist:

As I get older and older, I see that many things have already been done and said. But affirmation and reaffirmation are necessary from time to time, and are so important when facing adversities. Recently I have been studying quotations by many famous and influential people. Their words continue to encourage us and become ways which give inspirations and promises. They guide us to travel from where we were to where we are going. We quote others only to better express ourselves. In such a way, I hope this quotation by Susan Sontag will speak to the queer experience as well as the lockdown time during COVID-19.

Ho Tam was born in Hong Kong, educated in Canada and the U.S. and worked in advertising companies and community psychiatric facilities before turning to art. He practices in multiple disciplines including photography, video, painting and print media. His first video, The Yellow Pages, was commissioned by the public art group PUBLIC ACCESS for an installation/projection at the Union Station of Toronto in 1994/95. Since then Tam has produced over 15 experimental videos. He was included in the traveling exhibition Magnetic North: Canadian Experimental Video by Walker Art Center, Minnesota. His feature documentary film “Books of James” was awarded Outstanding Artistic Achievement (Outfest, LA) and Best Feature Documentary (Tel Aviv LGBT Film Festival). He also publishes several series of artist’s books and zines. In 2019, Ho Tam opened his Hotam Press bookshop/gallery in Mount Pleasant. Tam is an alumnus of Whitney Museum Independent Studies Program, Bard College (MFA) and recipients of various fellowships and artist’s grants.