This installation by Timur Si-Qin titled East, South, West, North, was recently on display in Beijing.
Student applies for UBC Tuum Est funds to bring international artist to Kelowna
What: Visiting Artist Lecture
Who: Internationally acclaimed artist Timur Si-Qin
When: Thursday, March 14 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna
A UBC Okanagan fine arts student was so inspired by an internationally acclaimed artist, he invited him to Kelowna.
New York-based visual artist Timur Si-Qin will host a lecture on Thursday, March 14 at the Rotary Centre for the Arts’ Mary Irwin Theatre. Si-Qin’s work evolves at an intersection between nature and technology and investigates how people are conditioned through marketing to respond to generic imagery such as brand logos.
Evan Berg, a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) student in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS), became familiar with Si-Qin’s work a couple of years ago after seeing some images online.
Berg took it upon himself to find funding to bring this internationally renowned artist to UBCO. He was successful in his application to UBC’s Tuum Est fund and Reichwald fund for Germanic Studies. Having access to these funds made it possible to have Si-Qin come to the Okanagan, share his work and talk about his studio practice, explains FCCS Dean Bryce Traister.
“It is so inspiring to see students taking initiatives to further their education and to take part in the local arts scene by making this event available for fellow students and the community,” says Traister. “We are proud to have Evan as one of our BFA students, and we know he will continue to work towards being a strong advocate in our arts community.”
Si-Qin, an artist of German and Mongolian-Chinese heritage, was born in Germany in 1984. He grew up in Berlin, Beijing and America and is now living and working in New York City. His cultural identity is part of his work—which melds aspects of spirituality, marketing, technology, nature, cultural evolution and the study of knowledge. His work includes 3D-printed sculptures, photo light boxes, computer-generated imagery, installations and virtual reality. He also creates images of generic natural landscapes and contextualizes them in the same realm as advertisements through his own brand New Peace.
“As a young contemporary artist who belongs to an exciting generation of new media artists, I felt Si-Qin is someone my fellow students and the local community could benefit from learning more about,” says Berg. “I’m in the last year of my degree, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunities available through the university to bring something special to the students in the BFA program. More specifically, I wanted to bring someone who they may not otherwise be exposed to.”
The lecture will be a free event in Kelowna’s downtown cultural district. The event is supported by UBC’s Tuum Est Student Lead Initiative Fund, Visual Arts Course Union, FCCS’ Reichwald fund for Germanic Studies and the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
About UBC’s Okanagan campus
UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world.
To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca.
