Germaine Koh

Last updated

Germaine Koh
Born1967 (age 56–57)
George Town, Malaysia
NationalityCanadian
Education University of Ottawa
Hunter College
OccupationConceptual artist
Years active1991-present
Relatives Graham Verchere (nephew)
Awards VIVA award
Website www.germainekoh.com

Germaine Koh (born 1967) is a Malaysian-born and Canadian conceptual artist based in Vancouver. Her works incorporate the artistic styles of neo-conceptual art, minimalism, and environmental art, and is concerned with the significance of everyday actions, familiar objects and common places. [1] [2]

Contents

Koh is an independent curator and partner in the independent record label Weewerk. [1] She also used to be an assistant curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery of Canada. [1] Her exhibition history includes the Baltic Centre (Newcastle), De Appel (Amsterdam), Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Para/Site Art Space (Hong Kong), Frankfurter Kunstverein, Bloomberg Space (London), The Power Plant (Toronto), Seoul Museum of Art, Artspace (Sydney), The British Museum (London), the Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver), Plug In ICA (Winnipeg), Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), and the Liverpool, Sydney and Montréal biennials. [1]

Early life and education

Koh was born in George Town, Malaysia. [3] She emigrated to Canada with her family at the age of two and was raised in Armstrong, British Columbia. [4] [5] Koh received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio in 1989 and theory and history of art in 1990 at the University of Ottawa. [6] She later obtained a Master of Fine Arts in 1993 from Hunter College in New York. [5]

Art career

Koh's work draws the use of everyday objects and familiar concepts in order to examine how people interact with those they encounter while moving through the world. [3] [5] For example, her piece "Call", is an old telephone in a public space. When the phone is picked up it randomly dials a number of a participant that has agreed to have conversations with strangers at any time of the day. [7]

There isn't a typical "Germaine Koh" piece - she utilizes many different materials for every piece she creates, yet each piece encompasses an ideology, perhaps best said by Koh herself in a Rhizome.org interview: [8]

I would characterize my work as a whole as an attempt to be attentive to the poetics of daily life by focusing on those phenomena that shape everyday experience, often slightly below the threshold of notice (and, yes, value)

Artistic styles and works

Germaine Koh, Knitwork, 1992, unraveled used garment reknit into growing object. This view: 1998 Biennale of Sydney Kohknitwork1992.jpg
Germaine Koh, Knitwork, 1992, unraveled used garment reknit into growing object. This view: 1998 Biennale of Sydney

Koh's work encompasses the artistic styles of conceptual art, environmental art, and minimalism. [9] In an on-going work titled Knitwork (1992-present), Koh unravels used garments and re-knits the materials into one larger and constantly evolving object. [10] This piece demonstrates characteristics of environmental art through Koh's use of recycled materials and the ways in which she turns used and discarded items into a working piece of art. [9] In a similar artwork called Lumber (1991-1994, dispersed 2002), Koh makes use of flexible pieces of recuperated lumber glazed with oil and marine varnish to be installed alongside select architecture. [11] Various projects by Koh are also collaborative or rely on the active participation of its audiences. One example of such works include an art gallery titled "ad hoc gallery" which was put on display in collaboration with Geoffrey Brown from 1993-1994. [12] [13] An example of one which incorporates its participants into the art piece itself is League, which began in 2012 and is categorized as a "participatory project". [14] Koh describes League as "an open group of people who gather regularly to play sports and games invented or conceived by members of the community ... The project is founded in a belief in the value of emergent behaviour and the process of making sense of things." [15] Koh emphasizes games, sport, and play as forms of problem-solving which focus on the mental over the physical and the processes of learning, adapting, and evolution through iteration as central to the overall concept of the project. [15]

Koh combines both making use of discarded or found items and active participation in a project called Sightings (1992–1998), which involved the commercial printing and publishing of images found in public as postcards. [16] These postcards closely interacted with the individuals they reached, drawing emphasis on the ideas of making art out of common everyday objects and experiences as well as recognizing the uniqueness of common places. [17]

Other projects

In addition to her artistic work, Koh is co-founder of the Toronto-based record label and artist-management company Weewerk. [3] [18] She is also an athlete. Koh played varsity volleyball and badminton at the University of Ottawa and is a former captain of roller derby team the Terminal City All-Stars. Her interest in the relationship between creativity and athleticism resulted in the creation of The Koh-Verchere Award for Athletic and Creative Excellence, an Emily Carr University of Art and Design student award, [19] and the establishment of Vancouver's League. [20] [21] Koh was part of the design team for the No. 2 Road North Drainage Pump Station [22] in Richmond B.C., which was awarded the Public Works Association of British Columbia 2018 Project of the Year award. [23] In 2018, Koh became the first artist-in-residence in the City of Vancouver engineering department. [24]

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

Personal life

Koh has 25 years of leadership with non-profit organizations. [63] She has been coaching roller derby since 2010. [63] In 2015, Koh established the program for a new competitive team, the Terminal City B-Sides. [63]

She was the Chef de Mission of Team Canada Roller Derby from 2017 to 2018, where she was responsible for the team's strategic vision and organizational development. [63]

Koh has a multi-sport background which includes five years of experience playing for the varsity badminton team at the University of Ottawa. She also played roller derby for five years under the derby name "PLAYER 1" before captaining the Terminal City All-Stars. [63]

Legacy and influence

The project by Koh and Geoffrey Brown titled "ad hoc gallery" received a review from Gunter Nolte, Visual Arts Department Head at University of Ottawa, as he comments "They are making an enormous contribution to the community art scene. They are so committed they finance the gallery from their own jobs." [64] An aspect of the City of Vancouver's engineering art residence is bringing the community together to determine what they would like to see happen for buildings, pipes, public spaces, and also demolitions. [64] An example of this would be the "sewer time capsule" which was created 13 July 2019. [64] This brought together members of the community to paint on a pipe that was then used as sewer upgrades in the area which would stay in use for the next hundred years. [64] Koh herself said "The community can always feel like they had a little part to play in the infrastructure that lies below their street, and it's a concrete connection with sewer works that also serves to demystify infrastructure." [64]

Awards

In 2004, Koh was a finalist for the Sobey Art Award and in 2010 she won a VIVA Award in recognition of her outstanding achievement as a mid-career artist in British Columbia. [5]

Awarded the 2023 Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts for Artistic Achievement. [65]

Publications

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References

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  2. ↑ "Germaine Koh: Around About". Gallery One One One. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Look at This: Germaine Koh's Ingenious Machines And Social Experiments". CBC. 1 February 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Mayer, Marc; Brayshaw, Christopher (14 October 2002). "Fresh Eyes". Time (Canadian ed.). pp. 58–65.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Cramp, Beverly (31 December 2012). "Germaine Koh: Brewing up conceptual art". Galleries West. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Koh projects > Call". Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Kabatoff, Mathew. "Interview with Germaine Koh, January 1, 2001". Archived from the original on 14 May 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
  9. 1 2 Laurence, Robin (19 May 2001). "Work and words go up in smoke". The Globe and Mail.
  10. ↑ "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Baele, Nancy (13 February 1994). "Gallery gives showcase for ad hoc spirit". The Ottawa Citizen.
  13. ↑ "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Review: Germaine Koh's League". Drain Magazine. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  16. ↑ "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. ↑ Niedviecki, Hal. "Picture Postcard: Post-art in the garbage era". Broken Pencil: 12–14.
  18. ↑ "about". Weewerk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  19. ↑ staff writer (24 April 2014). "ian verchere and germaine koh the creative edge". Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  20. ↑ Stewart, Megan (16 September 2013). "All the kids are doing it". Vancouver Courier . Vancouver. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "League". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "City of Richmond BC - No. 2 Road Drainage Pump Station (2018)". www.richmond.ca. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  23. ↑ "Richmond pump station project takes home public works award - constructconnect.com". Journal of Commerce. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  24. ↑ staff, Courier (13 January 2018). "City engineering department gets its very own artist in residence". Vancouver Courier. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  25. ↑ "Germaine Koh: Crowd Shyness". Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "Evergreen Cultural Centre | Coquitlam, BC". Evergreen. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  27. ↑ "Welcome | Richmond Art Gallery". Richmond Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  28. ↑ "Germaine Koh: Home Made Home | Kelowna Art Gallery". Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  29. ↑ "MOV | Museum of Vancouver". MOV | Museum of Vancouver. Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  30. ↑ "Vancouver Art Gallery". www.vanartgallery.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  31. ↑ "Culture + Community: Social Practice and the City | Emily Carr University". www.connect.ecuad.ca. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  32. ↑ Laurence, Robin (16 December 2013). "Germaine Koh: Weather Systems". Canadian Art . Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  33. ↑ "Accueil | Galerie B312". galerieb312.ca. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  34. ↑ "The Haunting". invaliden1.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  35. ↑ "Libby Leshgold Gallery (formerly Charles H. Scott Gallery)". Galleries West. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  36. ↑ "Catriona Jeffries". www.catrionajeffries.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  37. ↑ "Overflow: Germaine Koh (2007) | Centre A". Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  38. ↑ "Germaine Koh: Overflow". The Georgia Straight. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  39. ↑ "VP Media Arts Centre". www.videopool.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  40. ↑ "Ottawa Art Gallery | Art and Community". oaggao.ca. Archived from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  41. ↑ Staff writer(s). "Germaine Koh". balticmill.com. Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  42. ↑ Staff writers. "Germain Koh about around". umanitoba.ca. Gallery One One One. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  43. ↑ Staff writer(s). "Germaine Koh". contemporaryartgallery.ca. Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver). Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  44. ↑ "Koh's Work Focuses on Meaningful Details". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 27 January 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  45. ↑ Barnett, Pennina (1 November 2002). "Small Gestures and Acts of Grace: An Interview with Germaine Koh". Women: A Cultural Review. 13 (3): 356–369. doi:10.1080/0957404022000026568. ISSN   0957-4042. S2CID   191590882.
  46. ↑ "Publication Review | Germaine Koh". Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  47. ↑ rugor. germainekoh.com https://germainekoh.com/cv . Retrieved 6 March 2021.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ↑ "Germaine Koh" . Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  49. ↑ "Split Between the I and the Gaze | Agnes Etherington Art Centre". agnes.queensu.ca. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  50. ↑ smallarmsinspect. "Public Volumes". Small Arms Inspection Building (SAIB). Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  51. ↑ "Or Gallery: Afterlives". www.orgallery.org. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
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  53. ↑ "AHVA Gallery | AHVA - The Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory". ahva.ubc.ca. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
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  55. ↑ "(im)mobile | Dalhousie Art Gallery". artgallery.dal.ca. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
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  57. ↑ "Nuit Blanche Toronto". City of Toronto. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  58. ↑ Moser, Gabrielle. "Here Now or Nowhere: Northern Lights". Canadian Art. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  59. ↑ "All Together Now: Recent Toronto Art | AGO Art Gallery of Ontario". www.ago.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  60. ↑ "Untethered". Eyebeam. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  61. ↑ "The Sobey Art Award 2004 Touring Exhibition". Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  62. ↑ "L'Envers des apparences". MAC Montréal (in French). Archived from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 "Staff profile: Germaine Koh — Team Canada Roller Derby". www.teamcanadarollerderby.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  64. 1 2 3 4 5 Frey, Warren (15 July 2019). "City of Vancouver Turns Infrastructure into Art Canvas". Journal of Commerce.
  65. ↑ "The Canada Council for the Arts Announces the 2023 Winners of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts". Canada Council for the Arts. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  66. ↑ "Germaine Koh | Centre A Library | TinyCat". Centre A Library. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  67. ↑ "Germaine Koh / Stall | Centre A Library | TinyCat". Centre A Library. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  68. ↑ "Overflow: Germaine Koh | Centre A Library | TinyCat". Centre A Library. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  69. ↑ "Open hours: Germaine Koh | Centre A Library | TinyCat". Centre A Library. Retrieved 28 April 2019.

Further reading

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