BIOGRAPHY

 

Ho Tam is a Canadian artist whose practice spans video, photography, painting, drawing, graphics and print media. His work often concerns with mass media representations of race and identity politics. He has exhibited in galleries and film festivals across Canada and internationally.

 

Tam was born in Hong Kong. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University and a Master of Fine Arts from Bard College. He also attended the Whitney Museum Independent Studies Program.

 

Tam’s video work has received various prizes and awards, including the Best Documentary at Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival and the Outstanding Artistic Achievement at OutFest, Los Angeles (both for ‘Books of James’ 2006).

 

In the past ten years, Tam has been focusing on his independent publishing practice under the imprint Hotam Press. His publications can be found in the website hotampress.com

 

 

CURRICULUM VITAE

 

ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS

 

2024 41 Ross, San Francisco

 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto ON

2022 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto ON

 Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, Yorkton SK

2021 The New Gallery, Calgary AB

2020 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2019 Victoria Arts Council, Victoria

2018 Galerie Articule, Montreal

 Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond BC

 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2016 Platform Centre for Photographic & Digital Arts, Winnipeg

 Centre(3) for Prints & Media Arts, Hamilton

2015 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2014 Commonwealth & Council, Los Angeles

2010 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2008 Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse

2006 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria

 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2005 Xchanges Gallery, Victoria

2004 Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

 Seoul Poster Project, Seoul, Korea

2003 VU – Centre de diffusion et de production de la photographie, Quebec City

 White Water Gallery, North Bay (Ontario)

2002 Photo Passage at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

 Centre A, Vancouver

2001 Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa

 Gallery TPW, Toronto

1999 Hamilton Artists Inc., Hamilton

1997 Galerie 101 Gallery, Ottawa

 Plug In, Inc., Winnipeg

1996 Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto

 Neutral Ground, Regina

1995 Galerie Articule, Montréal

 Floating Gallery (Light Year Photo Festival), Winnipeg

 University of California at Berkeley Extension, San Francisco

 YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Toronto

1994  Observatoire 4, Montréal

 Art Starts Neighbourhood Cultural Centre, Toronto

 

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

 

2024 Copy Machine Manifestos, Vancouver Art Gallery

 A Long Walk from the F Train, Abrons Arts Center, New York City

 Magazine Fever, Museum of Chinese in America, New York City

 Untold Stories, Alisan Fine Arts, New York City

2023 Copy Machine Manifestos, Brooklyn Museum, New York

2022 Myth Makers - Spectrosynthesis III, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong

 Restless: Recent Acquisitions, Vancouver Art Gallery

 Out of Bounds, Libby Leshgold Gallery & READ Books, Vancouver

2021 Light Hours: Eleven Artists Looking at Hong Kong, The News Room, Vancouver

 It’s Not Easy Being Green, Queer Arts Festival, Vancouver

2020 Pride in Chinatown, Access Gallery, Vancouver (curated by Paul Wong)

 Tin Man Was A Dream, Vancouver Art Gallery

 Greetings from Isolation, Online video exhbition (greetingsfromisolation.com)

 Canaries in a Coal Mine  Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2019 Spectrosynthesis 2, Bangkok Arts & Cultural Center

2017 Spectrosynthesis, Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

2014 Radiation, Art Center of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok

2012 Editions 1, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto

2009 Contacting Toronto, Subway Platform, Toronto Transit Commissions

2007 Redress Express, Centre A, Vancouver

2006 A Usable Past, Henry Street Settlement Abrons Arts Center, New York

 Life and Death of I.D., McMaster University Museum,  Hamilton ON

2005 Aesthetics of Everyday, Glenbow Museum, Calgary

 Return to Sender, Pender 69, Vancouver

2004 Video Portraits, Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener/Waterloo ON

 Creative Insecurity, South Asian Visual Arts Collective, Toronto

 Dislocation, Fringe Club, Hong Kong

2003 Ménage à trois, Eastern Edge Gallery, St. John’s, Newfoundland

2002 Video Nomad, Artspeak Gallery, Vancouver

 In Case of Rapture, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston

 Magnetic North: Canadian Experimental Video, Whatshan, Taipei

2001 Others, Henry Street Settlement Abrons Arts Center, New York

 Magnetic North: Canadian Experimental Video, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton

 Magnetic North: Canadian Experimental Video, The Power Plant, Toronto

 Dead Teenagers West Wing Art Space, Toronto

2000 Being On Time, Public Access at Central Technical High School, Toronto

 Magnetic North: Canadian Experimental Video Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

1999 In the Marketplace of Private Life, Photographic Resource Center, Boston

 Line Up, Henry Street Settlement Abrons Art Center, New York

1998 A Skowhegan Decade, David Beitzel Gallery, New York

1997 The Carriage House - Project 97, Islip Art Museum, Islip (New York)

 Uncommon Traits, CEPA Gallery, Buffalo

 Home Is Where The Heart Is, White Columns, New York

 Video Postcards,  Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

 Snappy Title, YYZ Artists' Outlet, Toronto

1996 Consumption, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco

 Snow, Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto

 Rebecca Baird/Ho Tam, Open Studio Gallery, Toronto

1995 Group Show, Garnet Press Gallery, Toronto

 Celebrity-hood, Longwood Art Project, Bronx (New York)

1994 Stonewall 25, White Columns, New York

 Contested Spaces, Public Access at Union Station, Toronto

1993 Dismantling Invisibility, A Space, Toronto

 Bookworks, AKA Artists' Centre, Saskatoon

 Inside/Outside: New Chinese Art, Galerie SAW Video, Ottawa

 Inside/Outside: New Chinese Art, Artspace, Peterborough

1992 Artists At the "Y", West End YMCA, Toronto

 Roundup ‘92, Artist’s Studio, Toronto

 

 

SELECTED ART BOOK FAIR EXHIBITIONS

 

2024 Vancouver Art Book Fair

2023 Artist Publisher Fair, London

2022 Printed Matter's New York Art Book Fair

2019 London Art Book Fair

2018 Unlimited Edition, Seoul

 Taipei Art Book Fair

2017 Offprint Paris

2016 Los Angeles Art Book Fair

2015 New York Art Book Fair

 I NEVER READ Art Book Fair Basel

 MISS READ Art Book Fair Berlin

2014 Antwerp Art Book Fair

 New York Art Book Fair

2013 Los Angeles Art Book Fair

 Tokyo Art Book Fair

 

 

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Steven Leyden Cochrane, “The Value of Awareness: Vancouver Artist’s Magazines Push Back Against Media Misrepresentation and Damaging Stereotypes,” Winnipeg Free Press, October 17, 2016

Tricia Wasney, “Where in the World I am: A Response to Ho Tam’s Cover to Cover,” Platform Centre Exhibition Catologue, November 2016

Sally Frater, “Translations,” Centre3 Catalogue, February 2016

Joni Low, “Possibilities for the Page: 88Books & Artists’ books in China,” Yishu Art Journal, Vol. 11, No. 6, 2012

Mike Hoolboom, “Ho Tam: Seasons of the Boys,” Practical Dreamers: Interviews with Movie Artists, Coach House Press, Toronto, 2008

Ho Tam & Alice Ming Wai Jim, “Let the Fingers Do the Walking: Rereading Ho Tam’s The Yellow Pages,” Reel Asian: Asia Canada On Screen, Toronto: Coach House Press, 2007

Vera Frankel, “Harder Times, Tougher Spaces,” Canadian Art Magazine, Summer 2004

Artist’s Project, FELIX, Risk/Riesgo Issue (journal with DVD), 2003/04

Chris Kennedy, “On Fine China,” Blue Prints, Pleasure Dome (Toronto), 2003

Peter Goddard, “A show of cheek from city’s east end,” The Toronto Star, August 29, 2002

Robin Laurence, “Eastern Outpost,” The Georgia Straight, May 2-9, 2002

Artist’s Project, PUBLIC 24: Being On Time, 2002

 

 

SELECTED VIDEO SCREENINGS

 

Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, Paris, France & Berlin, Germany  (November 2005)

INVIDEO 2005, Milan, Italy  (November 2005)

Media Art Biennale (WRO ’05), Wroclaw, Poland  (May 2005)

Filmhuis Cavia, Amsterdam, The Netherlands  (May 2005)

Scratch Projection au Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris, France  (May 2005)

Experimenta 2005, Mumbai & New Delhi, India (February to March 2005)

Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa ON (October 2004)

Mieke Bal & Ho Tam, Artword Theatre, Toronto (May 2004)

VideoLisboa, Lisbon, Portugal  (November 2003)

2003 Toronto International Film Festival  (September 2003)

Images Independent Film & Video Festival, Toronto  (May 2003)

Image Movement Cinematheque, Taipei (January 2003)

Cinematheque Ontario, Toronto (October 2002)

Reel Asian: Toronto Asian Canadian Film & Video Festival  (November 2002)

Magnetic North: Canadian Experimental Video.  Travelling exhibition organized by Walker Art Center and Plug In Inc.

2002 San Francisco Asian American Film Festival (March 2002)

Media Art Biennale, Wroclaw, Poland  (April 1999)

Architecture (curated by Laurie Brown).  Hope 57 Gallery , Brooklyn & Knitting Factory, New York  (March 1999)

Mostra de Video Independent.  Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, Spain (January 1999)

The 3rd Hong Kong Queer Film & Video Festival  (October 1998)

MIX: 1998 New York Film/Video Festival  (November 1998)

LA Freewaves: A Celebration of Independent Video, Los Angeles  (September 1998)

SCHULZ, Cologne, Germany  (July 1998)

New York Lesbian & Gay Film Festival  (June 1998)

 

 

EDUCATION

 

Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.  Master of Fine Arts, 2004

Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, New York.  1996 - 1997

McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.  Bachelor of Arts, 1985