Œuvre d'art public

A Tale of Two Children: A Work for Strathcona

Ken Lum, A Tale of Two Children: A Work for Strathcona, 2005
Ken Lum, A Tale of Two Children: A Work for Strathcona, 2005
Ken Lum, A Tale of Two Children: A Work for Strathcona, 2005
Location:
National Works Yard, Corner of Malkin and Thornton Streets, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Artwork creator(s): 
Lum, Ken
Text author(s): 
Lum, Ken
Installation year: 
2005
Description: 

Two large aluminum panels. On one side, an image; on the other, text. One shows an unhappy Caucasian boy. The other, a smiling young Asian girl and an adult woman.

Text of the artwork: 

What an idiot!
What an idiot
you are!
What an utterly
useless idiot
you are!

You so smart.
You make me proud
you so smart.
I so proud
you so smart.

Text theme: 
Conjunctions and disjunctions between visual and verbal imagery
Artwork theme: 

Parenting
The anecdotal is pitted against stereotypes
Social criticism
The neighborhood

Note(s): 

The artist grew up two blocks away from the works yard.

Owner(s): 
Vancouver
Document(s): 

Ken Lum: A Tale of Two Children

Laurence, Robin (2005).  Ken Lum: A Tale of Two Children. <http://www.straight.com/article/ken-lum-a-tale-of-two-children> (November 3) : Straight.com

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

Steil, John, Aileen Stalker (2009).  Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions. Vancouver : TouchWood Editions, p. 176