Samson Young: It’s a heaven over there

February 23 – 1 June 2019 Opening Reception: Saturday, February 23, 2019 | 7-9 pm Artist Talk: Sunday, February 24 | 2 pm Centre A is pleased to present, It’s a heaven over there, the first solo exhibition in Canada by celebrated Hong Kong artist Samson Young. Situated in a cavernous gallery in a pink walled, neon-lit, 1980s era shopping mall in Vancouver’s ever gentrifying Chinatown, this multimedia installation originates from Young’s archival research on Won Alexander Cumyow, the first person of Chinese descent born in Canada, and mobilizes Centre A’s location in a former retail mall to stage a double vision of global retrotopianism. In this exhibition, the contemporary retrotopian impulse that remembers once-vibrant mall fountain courts as town squares becomes an entryway into the poetics of the diasporic imagination. It’s A Heaven Over There continues Young’s interest in shifting topologies, the modern nation-state, and cosmopolitan social imaginaries, and will feature a new body of works on paper, an animated music video, and archival materials. In conjunction with It’s a heaven over there, Centre A will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Join us for light refreshments and beverages in celebration. – We are grateful for the generous support of our funders without their support this event wouldn’t be possible. Canada Council for the Arts, British Columbia Arts Council, New Chapter, and the City of Vancouver. – This exhibition takes place on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.