Evocative Portraits by One of Canada’s First Chinese-Canadian Photographers
Hull, Quebec, January 31, 2002 — Opening on February 1, 2002 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, First Son: Portraits by C.D. Hoy features 81 black-and-white portraits by Chinese-Canadian photographer Chow Dong Hoy. Produced by Presentation House Gallery in Vancouver, First Son offers visitors a unique look at early twentieth-century life in the B.C. Interior.
Curated by Faith Moosang — recent recipient of the Award for Excellence in Research from the Association of Canadian Museums — First Son celebrates one man’s indomitable will and sense of adventure. Intent on alleviating the poverty and suffering of his family back in China, Chow Dong Hoy was only a teenager when he landed in British Columbia in 1902. Following various stints as a houseboy, cook, surveyor, miner and barber, Hoy took up a camera and began taking pictures. His first photographs were taken of Chinese workers, as mementoes for them to send back to their families in China. As his fame grew, he began taking photographs of the local Carrier and Chilcotin peoples, as well as the Caucasian workers who had migrated to the area.
“It is our great pleasure to bring this fine exhibition — and C.D. Hoy’s unique vision — to our visitors,” says Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “Unlike some anthropological photographers and those who tended to romanticize Native peoples and stereotype immigrants, Hoy presents his subjects as real individuals living in the rough-and-tumble world of the B.C. Interior. It is also important for this museum to present such unique exhibitions from various parts of Canada.”
Hoy took more than 1,500 photographs between 1909 and 1920, creating an invaluable record of the rich cultural diversity of the Cariboo region. Capturing the enduring presence of the Interior’s Native peoples, as well as the dignity and pride of Chinese workers and Caucasian labourers, Hoy has left a poignant legacy of a world now lost forever.
First Son: Portraits by C.D. Hoy is curated by Faith Moosang and is organized and circulated by Presentation House Gallery in Vancouver. It will be presented in Special Exhibitions Gallery B at the Canadian Museum of Civilization until September 3, 2002.
FACT SHEET
Media Information:
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Senior Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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