Arts Umbrella congratulates artist Fan-ling Suen – one of 52 finalists for the inaugural Salt Spring National Art Prize.
The prize is “really unusual,” says Fan-ling, “it’s one of Canada’s few national art prizes.”
Fan-ling is much-loved at Arts Umbrella, having taught Visual Arts classes and worked with the non-profit administration team.
“I am so proud and happy for Fan-Ling to be in the top 52 artists from across Canada,” says Roxanne Gagnon, Artistic Director, Visual, Media, & Applied Arts at Arts Umbrella. “This prize is really special for the arts community because of the focus on integrity, creativity, and originality resulting in work from artists with a real impact and depth of meaning.”
Fan-ling graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia. Recent exhibitions have included Capture Photography Festival (2015) and Access Gallery (2014). The artist describes herself as drawing on social history, popular fiction, children’s literature, and psychoanalytic theory in her work. “I navigate concerns around memory, longing, and attachment,” she says.
To select the 52 finalists for the $25,000 prize, a blind jury reviewed the work of 800 artists.
“This has given us an amazing cross section of works for our exhibition,” says Salt Spring National Art Prize founding director Ronald T. Crawford in a press release.
Fan-ling’s three prints are some of her most recent work. “I was surprised and happy,” she says, about being selected as a finalist. Though she is moving to Guelph, ON, she will return to British Colombia to attend the show.
No images of the finalists’ works have been previewed, so the show will also be an opportunity for Fan-ling to get to see the work of the other Canadian artists.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the artworks, and the other artists from across Canada.”
Salt Spring National Art Prize 2015 Finalist Exhibition
Location: Mahon Hall, 114 Rainbow Rd., Salt Spring Island
Dates: Sep 25, 2015 to Oct 26, 2015
Opening: Sep 25, 2015
Prize announcement: Oct 25, 2015
