Thomas Chang; Orientalism

Thu, Apr 13
6:00-8:00pm
$0

Thomas Chang
Orientalism
April 13th- May 13th, 2006
Lisa Dent Gallery
660 Mission St., 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 13th 6-8pm

Lisa Dent Gallery is delighted to present the photographic work of
Thomas Chang, in his first solo exhibition in San Francisco entitled
"Orientalism." After three years of volunteering as a docent and
leading interpretive tours for the public at Angel Island Immigration
Station, Chang noted many recurring questions and misunderstandings
concerning the history of immigration and perceptions of ethnicity.
In this new series, Chang reveals a complex relationship between the
Westerner and the Easterner and the photographer and the photographed
in a portrayal of exotic "Other".

Prior art challenging institutional presentations of history and
culture has been referred to as "museumist art" or "institutional
critique" and includes Yves Klein's 1958 Paris exhibition "Le Vide,"
in which he emptied the Galerie Iris Clert and transformed it into a
"zone of immaterial pictorial sensibility" while work in the 1970s by
such artists as Marcel Broodthaers and Micheal Asher continued to
assail the perceived neutrality of institutions presenting culture.
Thomas Chang's "Orientalism" continues to explore the portrayal of
history and ethnicity by public institutions and the challenges of
presenting these issues.

Thomas Chang received his M.F.A. from San Francisco Art Institute.
In 2005, he was awarded the Eureka Fellowship (2005-2007) by the
Fleishhacker Foundation and in 2002 he received a Fulbright Award
enabling him to work on his project "Cultural Tourism in China,"
which was exhibited in Bay Area Now 3 at Yerba Buena Center for the
Arts. His work has been exhibited in San Francisco at Southern
Exposure Gallery, Andrea Schwartz Gallery; at Charles H. Scott
Gallery in Toronto, and at M.Y. Art Prospects in New York City.

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday through Saturday 12:00-6:00pm
and by appointment

Venue:

Lisa Dent Gallery
660 Mission St, 4th Floor
San Francisco
415-975-0860
www.lisadent.com

Additional Info:

415-975-0860
www.lisadent.com