arts // no. &

theotherpress.ca

‘Haida Now’ celebrates a living culture

> Museum of Vancouver’s latest exhibit shows Haida history and artistry

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

he Museum of Vancouver has

opened their newest temporary
exhibit, a meticulously assembled
display of artwork from across Haida
history. The exhibit, Haida Now, aims
to showcase the past, present, and
future of Haida people both on Haida
Gwaii and in Vancouver. It stands
fittingly across from the permanent
City Before the City exhibit, which
works to connect Musqueam history
with the history of Vancouver itself.

Haida Now is presented in a
wide, low room that’s dimly lit with
calming reds and dark greys, a stark
contrast from the bright and colourful
Vanier Park where the Museum of
Vancouver resides. The effect is a
quiet and distinguished environment
that compliments the artwork. Each
wall has a quote in English, French,
and Xaayda Kil/Xaad Kil, the Haida
language. A large map at the front
shows the names of former villages in
what is now Greater Vancouver. The
walls are also lined with display cases
organized into themes—traditional
family crests in one case, modern Haida
paintings in another. Below each case
is a video display featuring elders,
artists, academics, and other Haida

people. Douglas College’s own Dr. Bill
Angelbeck narrates a portion on warfare
between the Haida and the Salish.
Everything from incredibly fine
argillite carvings to modern Haida
music is displayed proudly and with
an enormous amount of careful
attention. A guest curator for Haida
Now was Kwiaahwah Jones, who is
praised on a large joint thank-you
letter on the entrance to the exhibit.
She acted as a “cultural translator” for
the Museum of Vancouver, working
with the Haida Gwaii Museum and
Haida individuals to put together a
spectacular, honest, and passionate
display of a vibrant and influential
Haida culture. The exhibit manages the
difficult task of depicting ancient Haida
history alongside modern artwork and
showing how they relate and differ.
Internationally-renowned artist
Bill Reid has a place of honour, with a
section of the back wall devoted to his
artwork, beliefs, and personal history.
The wall boldly (and accurately) declares
him to be one of the most important
modern Canadian artists. There are
also displays for major figures such as
Charles Edenshaw, Robert Davidson,
and other modern-day artists working
in Vancouver and on Haida Gwaii.
Haida Now will be open
to the public at the Museum of
Vancouver until June 15, 2019.

That convenience store at Queen
Street East and Sherbourne

> ‘Kim's Convenience’ still going strong after two seasons

Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

 

first heard of Kim’s Convenience when

it opened as a play written by Ins
Choi. I then forgot about it for a few
years until I saw a commercial for a new
show called Kim’s Convenience, which I
found out was based on the play when
I watched the show's opening credits.
The show went on to become one of
my favourite shows and is currently
the number one comedy in Canada.

Kim’s Convenience is about Mr. Kim

(Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), an immigrant
from South Korea who manages a typical
convenience store in Toronto. Everyone
in the neighbourhood likes him even
though he upsets some people. There
is his wife, Mrs. Kim (Jean Yoon), who
puts warmth in the food that she makes
and who tries to outsmart Mrs. Park, a
fellow churchgoer at the Toronto East-
West Presbyterian Church. You have
their daughter, Janet (Burnaby’s Andrea
Bang), who is learning photography and
sometimes gets upset at her father. You
also have his son, Jung (Simu Liu), who
ran away when he was young and works
in a car rental place called Handy Car
and Truck Rental. You even have the
rest of the staff in the car rental place,
including Jung’s roommate Kimchee
(Andrew Phung), his boss Shannon
(Nicole Power), and Terence (Michael

i de ame oa —=— -
es 62

Musi), whom Kimchee really dislikes.
The show resonates with me
because the Kims are an immigrant
family, like my own. Also, the
relationship between Mr. Kim and
Janet shows their generational and
cultural differences, a dynamic that is
relatable for many Canadian families.
The multiculturalism of Toronto is
shown as well, and Mr. Kim’s regular
customers include a variety of people
from different backgrounds. If you've
visited Toronto to see the vibrancy of the
city, you will fully appreciate the show.
All the characters in Kim’s
Convenience are likable people and
seem like great people to talk to. You
will probably not like Jung in the first

two episodes because he ran away
from his family and stole things.
However, you will like him when
you watch the third episode, when
he helps Janet with something.

After two successful seasons, the
show finally won Best Comedy in the
Canadian Screen Awards this year,
which I think they should have won last
year as well. So far, Sun-Hyung Lee and
Phung have received an award for every
season that has aired. In my opinion,
the Canadian Screen Awards should
have given Best Actress in a Comedy
to Yoon, because unlike in Schitt’s
Creek, where Catherine O’Hara plays an
unlikable person, Yoon plays a likable
person. The show’s success is also made

 

possible by its fan base, who are called
Kimbits—a group that includes myself.
The season finale of this past
season implies that Mr. Kim and Mrs.
Kim prefer Janet over Jung. However,
maybe something will happen next
season that will cause them to change
their feelings toward their children.
After the show won Best Comedy,
Sun-Hyung Lee and the rest of the
gang announced on Twitter that it will
be back next season, so we now have
to wait to see if'a lot of unanswered
questions will finally be resolved.
Kim’s Convenience is available
on DVD, iTunes, and Watch CBC
through www.cbc.ca/watch. The first
season is also available on Netflix.

 
 

Photos by Analyn Cuarto

 

‘w
yu
¢
v
c
el
| >
AE

6

oO

a

£

“
.
o

a
eS
£
°
<
a
— ©
c
6
iG
0°
£
6
2
a