In Conversation: Morris Lum & Arlene Chan | Chinatown In Photos

2024 Biennial artist Morris Lum is joined by Chinese Canadian Historian Arlene Chan, and architect and professor Linda Zhang, for an intimate conversation tracing the history of Toronto’s first Chinatown (located near present day City Hall) and the transition to its current location at Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West. This discussion will utilize storytelling and photographs to expand on Lum’s and Chan’s respective practices as stewards of Chinese immigration history in Canada through an intimate look at Chinatown(s) in Toronto and Canada.

Note: This Program will be located in the Concourse Event Space at the North York Central Library and has a limited capacity. Register via Eventbrite.

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This program is presented in partnership with the Toronto Public Library and is a part of their signature Salon Series, where they host local and international authors, artists and thinkers in conversation about their new books and big ideas. It is also part of TPL’s Asian Heritage series, generously supported by TD Bank Group, through the TD Ready Commitment. This program is made possible through the generous support of Eleanor & Francis Shen and Partners in Art.

Image credit: Rol Jul Restaurant, 2019 and Four Brothers BBQ, 2024. Photography: Morris Lum.

North York Central Library, Toronto Public Library

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November 14

7:00pm – 8:15pm

This venue is wheelchair accessible.

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This program is free, but registration is required in order to attend.

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Artist Bio

Arlene Chan

Arlene Chan (b. 1950, Toronto; she/her) is an author and Chinatown historian who brings the history, culture, and traditions of the Chinese in Toronto and Canada to life in her speaking engagements, tours, books, and essays.

Arlene serves as the president of the Jean Lumb Foundation that advances education through a national scholarship program for high school students of Chinese heritage, and as an advisor for Toronto Public Library’s Chinese Canadian Archive. She is the recipient of the Chinese Canadian Legends Award (2022), Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award (2022), Delta Delta Delta Woman of Achievement Award (2018), Heritage Toronto Special Achievement Award (2017), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award (2013).

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Artist Bio

Linda Zhang

Linda Zhang (she/her) is an architect (OAA, AIA), interior designer (NCIDQ), creative technologist and educator. She is the founder of Studio Pararaum / Para Lab and an assistant professor at University of Waterloo School of Architecture. Her spatial practice and research supports community ownership and anti-displacement through architectural co-design. Since she returned to Tkaronto’s Chinatown in 2018, she has been documenting Chinatown East and West by 3D scanning the neighbourhoods’ built environments. From these 3D models, she creates architectural memory technologies and co-design platforms to build community power in Chinatown through co-imagination and co-remembering to envision a more generative, affordable and culturally meaningful shared future(s) for all.

张亦飞（她）是一位建筑师（OAA、AIA）、室内设计师（NCIDQ）、创意技术专家和教育家。她是 Studio Pararaum / Para Lab 的创始人，也是滑铁卢大学建筑学院的助理教授。通过建筑共同设计，她的空间实践和研究旨在建立社区所有权和防止失所化。自从 2018 年回到多伦多以来，她通过 3D 立体扫描技术来记录东区唐人街和西区唐人街的建筑环境。她利用这些 3D 模型来创建建筑记忆技术和共同设计平台，以在唐人街建立社区力量。通过共同想象和共同记忆，从而为所有人设想一个（或多个）更具创造性、更经济适用和更具有文化意义的共同未来.

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Artist Bio

Morris Lum

Morris Lum (1983; he/him) is a Trinidadian-born photographer/artist whose work explores the hybrid nature of the Chinese-Canadian community through photography, form and documentary practices. His work also examines the ways in which Chinese history is represented in the media and archival material. Morris’ work has been exhibited and screened across Canada, and the United States.

Morris is currently working on a cross North America project that looks specifically at the transformation of Chinatown.

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