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Wikipedia

Germaine Koh

December 15, 2023

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]

Germaine Koh
Born1967 (age 55–56)
George Town, Malaysia
NationalityCanadian
EducationUniversity of Ottawa
Hunter College
OccupationConceptual artist
Years active1991-present
RelativesGraham Verchere (nephew)
AwardsVIVA award
Websitewww.germainekoh.com

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

 
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 edit

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 edit

  • Crowd Shyness, Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery, Vancouver, 17 July – 16 August 2020[25]
  • Home Made Home, Evergreen Cultural Centre, 14 September – 4 November 2018[26]
  • Home Made Home, Richmond Art Gallery, 17 June – 26 August 2018, Curated by Nan Caponga.[27]
  • Home Made Home, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna BC, Curator: Liz Wylie.[28]
  • Lively Objects: Enchantment and Disruption, Museum of Vancouver, 16 August 2015[29]
  • FUSE, Vancouver Art Gallery, 29 November 2013[30]
  • Culture + Community Symposium, Vancouver, 26 October 2013[31]
  • Germaine Koh: Weather Systems, Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops 6 April to 15 June 2013[32]
  • Germaine Koh - Knitwork; Germaine Koh/Gordon Hicks - There|Here, Galerie B-312, Montreal 2012[33]
  • The Haunting, Invaliden 1 Galerie, Berlin, 2010[34]
  • Fallow, Charles H Scott Gallery, Vancouver BC, Feb-Mar 2009[35]
  • Germaine Koh, Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver BC, Apr-May 2008[36]
  • Overflow, Centre A, Vancouver BC, Jan-Feb 2007[37][38]
  • Germaine Koh: Call and Relay, Video Pool, Winnipeg MB, Oct-Nov 2007[39]
  • Germaine Koh, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa ON, Aug-Oct 2006[40]
  • Relay: an intervention into the fabric of the Baltic building, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, July - September 2005[41]
  • Marks and Relay, Tate Biennial, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, England, 2004
  • Germaine Koh: about around, Gallery One One One, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba 30 November 2001 - 11/12 January 2002[42]
  • Germaine Koh, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver 5 May 2001 - 15 July 2001[43]
  • Germaine Koh: Shell, Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Jan-Feb 2005.[44]
  • Angel Row Gallery, Knitwork, Sep-Nov 2005. PDF
  • Germaine Koh: Shell, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong, 2004
  • Germaine Koh: Opening Hours, McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, ON, 2002.
  • Germaine Koh, Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Apr-Jun 2002.
  • Knitwork, The British Museum, London, UK, Feb-Apr 2002. Performance/installation related to conference "From Material Things: art and artefact in the 21st century". Curator: James Putnam & Gabriela Salgado.[45]
  • Germaine Koh: Around/About, Contemporary Art Gallery, Germaine Koh, Vancouver, BC, May-Jul 2001. Curator: Keith Wallace.[46]
  • Solo Exhibition, Watch, Toronto, ON, 5-7 Feb 2001. Curator: Barr Gilmore.
  • Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Germaine Koh: Knitwork, 1997.
  • Knitwork, 1996.
  • Knitwork, 1995.
  • Knitwork/Tricot-âge, Sep-Nov 1993.

Group exhibitions edit

  • Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, 8 September – 6 December 2020.[47]
  • City of Vancouver Engineering Artist in Residence, 2018–2020.[48]
  • Split Between the I and the Gaze, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 24 August – 1 December 2019.[49]
  • Public Volumes. Small Arms Inspection Building, Mississauga, 2019. Curator: Noa Bronstein.[50]
  • Kuenstlerhaus Palais Thurn & Taxis, Silvrett Atelier Montafon 2018. Bregenz AT, 2019.
  • 'Afterlives, Or Gallery, 25 November 2017- 3 February 2018[51]
  • 'Persistence, Vancouver Art Gallery, 24 June 2017- 1 October 2017[52]
  • This is it with it as it is, group exhibition at AHVA Gallery, 23 November 2016- 14 January 2017[53]
  • (im)mobile exhibition, Haus für Kunst Uri, 5 March – 15 May 2016[54]
  • (im)mobile, two-person show with Edith Flückiger, Dalhousie Art Gallery, Curator: Mireille Bourgeois & Chantal Molleur 17 October – 30 November 2014[55]
  • Les matins infidèles: l'art du protocole, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Curator: Bernard Larmarche November 2013- September 2014[56]
  • Scotiabank Nuit Blanche one A: Restaging the Encounter, Curator: Candice Hopkins, City of Toronto, 5 October 2013[57]
  • There/Here: Germain Koh and Gordon Hicks, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC, 2011. Participants: with Gordon Hicks. Curator: Jordan Strom.
  • Sorting Daemons: Art, Surveillance Regimes & Social Control, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, ON, Jan-loApr 2010. Participants: with Ian Verchere. Curator: Jan Allen & Sarah E.K. Smith.
  • Luminato Festival of Arts + Creativity, Luminato Festival 2009, Toronto, ON, Jun 2009.
  • How Soon Is Now, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Feb-May 2009. Curator: Kathleen Ritter.
  • Here Now or Nowhere, Prairie Art Gallery, Grande Prairie, AB, Jan 2009. Art in public places. Curator: Micah Lexier.[58]
  • Schematic: New Media Art from Canada, [space], London, UK, Nov-Dec 2008. Curator: Michelle Kasprzak, Gillian McIver & Heather Corcoran.
  • All Together Now: Recent Toronto Art, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON, Nov 2008-Spring 2009. Installation of works from the permanent collection. Curator: Michelle Jacque[59]
  • Untethered, eyebeam, New York, Sep-Oct 2008. Curator: Sarah Cook[60]
  • This Particular Day of June, Or Gallery, Vancouver, BC, May-Jun 2008. Curator: Jonathan Middleton.
  • On Being An Exhibition, Artists Space , New York, Oct-Dec 2007. Curator: Joseph del Pesco
  • Ingenuity Festival, Ingenuity Festival 2007, Cleveland, OH, 2007. Curator: Steve Dietz
  • f.city, Folly, Lancaster, UK, Sep-Oct 2006.
  • 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, SK, Jul-Sep 2006.[61]
  • Territory, Artspeak and Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Jun-Aug 2006.Curator: Melanie O'Brian & Helga Pakasaar.
  • Temporary Import / Vorübergehende Einfuhr, Art Forum Berlin, Berlin, Sep 2005. Curator: Susanne Titz.
  • 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, ON, Sep-Nov 2005
  • 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC, Jul-Aug 2005.
  • L'envers des apparences, Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Summer 2005. Curator: Gilles Godmer.[62]
  • 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition, Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YK, Mar-May 2005.
  • 2004 Sobey Art Award, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Exhibition, Halifax, NS, Oct-Dec 2004.
  • Sense, Edmonton Art Gallery (now Art Gallery of Alberta), Edmonton, AB, Sep-Nov 2004. Curator: Catherine Crowston.
  • Entre ciel et terre - Biennale nationale de sculpture contemporaine 2004, Galerie d'Art du Parc, Trois-Rivières, QC, Jun-Aug 2004. Curator: Gaston St-Pierre.

Personal life edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

  • Germaine Koh (2001), Germaine Koh and Keith Wallace, Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC). ISBN 9780920751800[66]
  • Germaine Koh/Stall (2004), Germaine Koh, Para/Site Art Space (Hong Kong).[67]
  • Overflow: Germaine Koh (2007), Germaine Koh, Centre A - Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Vancouver, BC). ISBN 9780973271157[68]
  • Opening hours: Germaine Koh (2002) Steven Reinke and Rosemary Heather, McMaster Museum of Art (Hamilton). ISBN 9781894088367[69]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Germaine Koh". Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Germaine Koh: Around About". Gallery One One One. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Look at This: Germaine Koh's Ingenious Machines And Social Experiments". CBC. 1 February 2014. 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. ^ a b c d Cramp, Beverly (31 December 2012). "Germaine Koh: Brewing up conceptual art". Galleries West. from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Germaine Koh". Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  7. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  8. ^ Kabatoff, Mathew. . Archived from the original on 14 May 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
  9. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. 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. 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. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  21. ^ "League". 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. "City engineering department gets its very own artist in residence". Vancouver Courier. 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. from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  27. ^ "Welcome | Richmond Art Gallery". Richmond Art Gallery. from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Germaine Koh: Home Made Home | Kelowna Art Gallery". from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  29. ^ "MOV | Museum of Vancouver". MOV | Museum of Vancouver. from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  30. ^ . 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. from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  32. ^ Laurence, Robin (16 December 2013). . Canadian Art. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  33. ^ "Accueil | Galerie B312". galerieb312.ca. from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  34. ^ "The Haunting". invaliden1.com. from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  35. ^ "Libby Leshgold Gallery (formerly Charles H. Scott Gallery)". Galleries West. from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Catriona Jeffries". www.catrionajeffries.com. from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  37. ^ "Overflow: Germaine Koh (2007) | Centre A". 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. from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  40. ^ "Ottawa Art Gallery | Art and Community". oaggao.ca. from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  41. ^ Staff writer(s). "Germaine Koh". balticmill.com. Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  42. ^ Staff writers. "Germain Koh about around". umanitoba.ca. Gallery One One One. from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  43. ^ Staff writer(s). "Germaine Koh". contemporaryartgallery.ca. Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver). 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. 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. from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  52. ^ . www.vanartgallery.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  53. ^ "AHVA Gallery | AHVA - The Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory". ahva.ubc.ca. from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  54. ^ Uri, Haus für Kunst. "Aktuell". Haus für Kunst Uri (in German). from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  55. ^ "(im)mobile | Dalhousie Art Gallery". artgallery.dal.ca. from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  56. ^ "Les matins infidèles L'art du protocole". Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) (in Canadian French). from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  57. ^ "Nuit Blanche Toronto". City of Toronto. 16 August 2017. from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  58. ^ Moser, Gabrielle. "Here Now or Nowhere: Northern Lights". Canadian Art. 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. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  60. ^ "Untethered". Eyebeam. 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). from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  63. ^ a b c d e "Staff profile: Germaine Koh — Team Canada Roller Derby". www.teamcanadarollerderby.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  64. ^ a b c d e 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 edit

  • Cook, Sarah; Miessen, Markus; Koh, Germaine (2013). Germaine Koh: Weather Systems. [Kamloops, British Columbia]: Kamloops Art Gallery. ISBN 9781895497816. OCLC 829422055.
  • Kingwell, Mark (2008). Opening Gambits: Essays on Art and Philosophy. Toronto: Key Porter Books. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-1-55470-073-8.

External links edit

  • Official website

December 15, 2023
germaine, born, 1967, malaysian, born, canadian, conceptual, artist, based, vancouver, works, incorporate, artistic, styles, conceptual, minimalism, environmental, concerned, with, significance, everyday, actions, familiar, objects, common, places, born1967, g. 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 Germaine KohBorn1967 age 55 56 George Town MalaysiaNationalityCanadianEducationUniversity of OttawaHunter CollegeOccupationConceptual artistYears active1991 presentRelativesGraham Verchere nephew AwardsVIVA awardWebsitewww wbr germainekoh wbr comKoh 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 Musee d art contemporain de Montreal 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 Montreal biennials 1 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Art career 3 Artistic styles and works 3 1 Other projects 4 Solo exhibitions 5 Group exhibitions 6 Personal life 7 Legacy and influence 8 Awards 9 Publications 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksEarly life and education editKoh 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 editKoh 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 edit nbsp Germaine Koh Knitwork 1992 unraveled used garment reknit into growing object This view 1998 Biennale of SydneyKoh 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 edit 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 editCrowd Shyness Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery Vancouver 17 July 16 August 2020 25 Home Made Home Evergreen Cultural Centre 14 September 4 November 2018 26 Home Made Home Richmond Art Gallery 17 June 26 August 2018 Curated by Nan Caponga 27 Home Made Home Kelowna Art Gallery Kelowna BC Curator Liz Wylie 28 Lively Objects Enchantment and Disruption Museum of Vancouver 16 August 2015 29 FUSE Vancouver Art Gallery 29 November 2013 30 Culture Community Symposium Vancouver 26 October 2013 31 Germaine Koh Weather Systems Kamloops Art Gallery Kamloops 6 April to 15 June 2013 32 Germaine Koh Knitwork Germaine Koh Gordon Hicks There Here Galerie B 312 Montreal 2012 33 The Haunting Invaliden 1 Galerie Berlin 2010 34 Fallow Charles H Scott Gallery Vancouver BC Feb Mar 2009 35 Germaine Koh Catriona Jeffries Gallery Vancouver BC Apr May 2008 36 Overflow Centre A Vancouver BC Jan Feb 2007 37 38 Germaine Koh Call and Relay Video Pool Winnipeg MB Oct Nov 2007 39 Germaine Koh Ottawa Art Gallery Ottawa ON Aug Oct 2006 40 Relay an intervention into the fabric of the Baltic building Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art July September 2005 41 Marks and Relay Tate Biennial Tate Liverpool Liverpool England 2004 Germaine Koh about around Gallery One One One University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba 30 November 2001 11 12 January 2002 42 Germaine Koh Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver 5 May 2001 15 July 2001 43 Germaine Koh Shell Catriona Jeffries Gallery Vancouver BC Jan Feb 2005 44 Angel Row Gallery Knitwork Sep Nov 2005 PDF Germaine Koh Shell Para Site Art Space Hong Kong 2004 Germaine Koh Opening Hours McMaster Museum of Art Hamilton ON 2002 Germaine Koh Catriona Jeffries Gallery Vancouver BC Apr Jun 2002 Knitwork The British Museum London UK Feb Apr 2002 Performance installation related to conference From Material Things art and artefact in the 21st century Curator James Putnam amp Gabriela Salgado 45 Germaine Koh Around About Contemporary Art Gallery Germaine Koh Vancouver BC May Jul 2001 Curator Keith Wallace 46 Solo Exhibition Watch Toronto ON 5 7 Feb 2001 Curator Barr Gilmore Southern Alberta Art Gallery Germaine Koh Knitwork 1997 Knitwork 1996 Knitwork 1995 Knitwork Tricot age Sep Nov 1993 Group exhibitions editSoundings An Exhibition in Five Parts Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery 8 September 6 December 2020 47 City of Vancouver Engineering Artist in Residence 2018 2020 48 Split Between the I and the Gaze Agnes Etherington Art Centre 24 August 1 December 2019 49 Public Volumes Small Arms Inspection Building Mississauga 2019 Curator Noa Bronstein 50 Kuenstlerhaus Palais Thurn amp Taxis Silvrett Atelier Montafon 2018 Bregenz AT 2019 Afterlives Or Gallery 25 November 2017 3 February 2018 51 Persistence Vancouver Art Gallery 24 June 2017 1 October 2017 52 This is it with it as it is group exhibition at AHVA Gallery 23 November 2016 14 January 2017 53 im mobile exhibition Haus fur Kunst Uri 5 March 15 May 2016 54 im mobile two person show with Edith Fluckiger Dalhousie Art Gallery Curator Mireille Bourgeois amp Chantal Molleur 17 October 30 November 2014 55 Les matins infideles l art du protocole Musee national des beaux arts du Quebec Curator Bernard Larmarche November 2013 September 2014 56 Scotiabank Nuit Blanche one A Restaging the Encounter Curator Candice Hopkins City of Toronto 5 October 2013 57 There Here Germain Koh and Gordon Hicks Surrey Art Gallery Surrey BC 2011 Participants with Gordon Hicks Curator Jordan Strom Sorting Daemons Art Surveillance Regimes amp Social Control Agnes Etherington Art Centre Kingston ON Jan loApr 2010 Participants with Ian Verchere Curator Jan Allen amp Sarah E K Smith Luminato Festival of Arts Creativity Luminato Festival 2009 Toronto ON Jun 2009 How Soon Is Now Vancouver Art Gallery Vancouver BC Feb May 2009 Curator Kathleen Ritter Here Now or Nowhere Prairie Art Gallery Grande Prairie AB Jan 2009 Art in public places Curator Micah Lexier 58 Schematic New Media Art from Canada space London UK Nov Dec 2008 Curator Michelle Kasprzak Gillian McIver amp Heather Corcoran All Together Now Recent Toronto Art Art Gallery of Ontario Toronto ON Nov 2008 Spring 2009 Installation of works from the permanent collection Curator Michelle Jacque 59 Untethered eyebeam New York Sep Oct 2008 Curator Sarah Cook 60 This Particular Day of June Or Gallery Vancouver BC May Jun 2008 Curator Jonathan Middleton On Being An Exhibition Artists Space New York Oct Dec 2007 Curator Joseph del Pesco Ingenuity Festival Ingenuity Festival 2007 Cleveland OH 2007 Curator Steve Dietz f city Folly Lancaster UK Sep Oct 2006 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition Mackenzie Art Gallery Regina SK Jul Sep 2006 61 Territory Artspeak and Presentation House Gallery Vancouver BC Jun Aug 2006 Curator Melanie O Brian amp Helga Pakasaar Temporary Import Vorubergehende Einfuhr Art Forum Berlin Berlin Sep 2005 Curator Susanne Titz 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art Toronto ON Sep Nov 2005 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Victoria BC Jul Aug 2005 L envers des apparences Musee d art contemporain de Montreal Montreal QC Summer 2005 Curator Gilles Godmer 62 2004 Sobey Art Award Exhibition Yukon Arts Centre Whitehorse YK Mar May 2005 2004 Sobey Art Award Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Exhibition Halifax NS Oct Dec 2004 Sense Edmonton Art Gallery now Art Gallery of Alberta Edmonton AB Sep Nov 2004 Curator Catherine Crowston Entre ciel et terre Biennale nationale de sculpture contemporaine 2004 Galerie d Art du Parc Trois Rivieres QC Jun Aug 2004 Curator Gaston St Pierre Personal life editKoh 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 editThe 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 editIn 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 editGermaine Koh 2001 Germaine Koh and Keith Wallace Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver BC ISBN 9780920751800 66 Germaine Koh Stall 2004 Germaine Koh Para Site Art Space Hong Kong 67 Overflow Germaine Koh 2007 Germaine Koh Centre A Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art Vancouver BC ISBN 9780973271157 68 Opening hours Germaine Koh 2002 Steven Reinke and Rosemary Heather McMaster Museum of Art Hamilton ISBN 9781894088367 69 References edit a b c d Germaine Koh Retrieved 10 March 2020 Germaine Koh Around About Gallery One One One Retrieved 4 October 2020 a b c 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 Mayer Marc Brayshaw Christopher 14 October 2002 Fresh Eyes Time Canadian ed pp 58 65 a b c d 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 Germaine Koh Retrieved 10 March 2020 Koh projects gt Call Archived from the original on 11 June 2010 Retrieved 3 February 2016 Kabatoff Mathew Interview with Germaine Koh January 1 2001 Archived from the original on 14 May 2006 Retrieved 4 September 2006 a b Laurence Robin 19 May 2001 Work and words go up in smoke The Globe and Mail Germaine Koh Retrieved 9 March 2020 Germaine Koh Retrieved 9 March 2020 Baele Nancy 13 February 1994 Gallery gives showcase for ad hoc spirit The Ottawa Citizen Germaine Koh Retrieved 9 March 2020 Review Germaine Koh s League Drain Magazine Retrieved 9 March 2020 a b Germaine Koh Retrieved 9 March 2020 Germaine Koh Retrieved 9 March 2020 Niedviecki Hal Picture Postcard Post art in the garbage era Broken Pencil 12 14 about Weewerk Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 8 March 2015 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 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 League Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 8 March 2015 City of Richmond BC No 2 Road Drainage Pump Station 2018 www richmond ca Retrieved 9 March 2019 Richmond pump station project takes home public works award constructconnect com Journal of Commerce 19 November 2018 Retrieved 9 March 2019 staff Courier City engineering department gets its very own artist in residence Vancouver Courier Archived from the original on 18 January 2018 Retrieved 29 April 2019 Germaine Koh Crowd Shyness Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery 8 July 2020 Retrieved 13 March 2021 Evergreen Cultural Centre Coquitlam BC Evergreen Archived from the original on 4 May 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Welcome Richmond Art Gallery Richmond Art Gallery Archived from the original on 19 January 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Germaine Koh Home Made Home Kelowna Art Gallery Archived from the original on 27 July 2017 Retrieved 29 April 2019 MOV Museum of Vancouver MOV Museum of Vancouver Archived from the original on 15 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Vancouver Art Gallery www vanartgallery bc ca Archived from the original on 6 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 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 Laurence Robin 16 December 2013 Germaine Koh Weather Systems Canadian Art Archived from the original on 24 March 2015 Retrieved 8 March 2015 Accueil Galerie B312 galerieb312 ca Archived from the original on 5 May 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 The Haunting invaliden1 com Archived from the original on 23 May 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Libby Leshgold Gallery formerly Charles H Scott Gallery Galleries West Archived from the original on 16 December 2017 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Catriona Jeffries www catrionajeffries com Archived from the original on 12 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Overflow Germaine Koh 2007 Centre A Archived from the original on 25 June 2017 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Germaine Koh Overflow The Georgia Straight 7 February 2007 Retrieved 10 March 2022 VP Media Arts Centre www videopool org Archived from the original on 12 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Ottawa Art Gallery Art and Community oaggao ca Archived from the original on 10 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Staff writer s Germaine Koh balticmill com Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 8 March 2015 Staff writers Germain Koh about around umanitoba ca Gallery One One One Archived from the original on 14 March 2015 Retrieved 8 March 2015 Staff writer s Germaine Koh contemporaryartgallery ca Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver Archived from the original on 31 October 2014 Retrieved 8 March 2015 Koh s Work Focuses on Meaningful Details Georgia Straight Vancouver s News amp Entertainment Weekly 27 January 2005 Archived from the original on 30 August 2011 Retrieved 29 April 2019 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 Publication Review Germaine Koh Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver 10 November 2017 Retrieved 29 April 2019 rugor germainekoh com https germainekoh com cv Retrieved 6 March 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help Germaine Koh Retrieved 10 March 2020 Split Between the I and the Gaze Agnes Etherington Art Centre agnes queensu ca Retrieved 9 March 2021 smallarmsinspect Public Volumes Small Arms Inspection Building SAIB Retrieved 29 April 2019 Or Gallery Afterlives www orgallery org Archived from the original on 15 August 2018 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Vancouver Art Gallery www vanartgallery bc ca Archived from the original on 29 January 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 AHVA Gallery AHVA The Department of Art History Visual Art amp Theory ahva ubc ca Archived from the original on 20 May 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Uri Haus fur Kunst Aktuell Haus fur Kunst Uri in German Archived from the original on 15 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 im mobile Dalhousie Art Gallery artgallery dal ca Archived from the original on 16 May 2018 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Les matins infideles L art du protocole Musee national des beaux arts du Quebec MNBAQ in Canadian French Archived from the original on 5 December 2018 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Nuit Blanche Toronto City of Toronto 16 August 2017 Archived from the original on 8 March 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2019 Moser Gabrielle Here Now or Nowhere Northern Lights Canadian Art Archived from the original on 9 May 2016 Retrieved 29 April 2019 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 Untethered Eyebeam Archived from the original on 30 March 2019 Retrieved 29 April 2019 The Sobey Art Award 2004 Touring Exhibition Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada Retrieved 29 April 2019 L Envers des apparences MAC Montreal in French Archived from the original on 8 December 2018 Retrieved 29 April 2019 a b c d e Staff profile Germaine Koh Team Canada Roller Derby www teamcanadarollerderby com Retrieved 10 March 2020 a b c d e Frey Warren 15 July 2019 City of Vancouver Turns Infrastructure into Art Canvas Journal of Commerce 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 Germaine Koh Centre A Library TinyCat Centre A Library Retrieved 28 April 2019 Germaine Koh Stall Centre A Library TinyCat Centre A Library Retrieved 28 April 2019 Overflow Germaine Koh Centre A Library TinyCat Centre A Library Retrieved 28 April 2019 Open hours Germaine Koh Centre A Library TinyCat Centre A Library Retrieved 28 April 2019 Further reading editCook Sarah Miessen Markus Koh Germaine 2013 Germaine Koh Weather Systems Kamloops British Columbia Kamloops Art Gallery ISBN 9781895497816 OCLC 829422055 Kingwell Mark 2008 Opening Gambits Essays on Art and Philosophy Toronto Key Porter Books pp 116 117 ISBN 978 1 55470 073 8 External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Germaine Koh amp oldid 1147056290, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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