A major new exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver will spotlight one of the city’s most influential artists, offering a sweeping look at a career shaped by migration, resilience, and global change.
Becoming: The Art of Gu Xiong opens May 28, 2026, with a public reception on May 27, and will run through February 2027. The exhibition is the most comprehensive presentation to date of Gu Xiong’s work, bringing together landmark pieces from across his 50-year career.
Born in Chongqing, China and now based in Vancouver, Gu’s life story is deeply woven into his art. From working as a labourer during the Cultural Revolution to building a career as a professor at the University of British Columbia, his journey reflects the complexities of migration and identity that underpin much of his practice.
An internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist, Gu works across painting, sculpture, photography, video, and large-scale installations. His work explores themes of hybridity, globalization, and the lived realities of migration—often drawing from personal experience to illuminate broader social narratives.
The exhibition will be spread across three gallery spaces, each tracing a distinct phase of his life and artistic evolution. The first focuses on his early years in China, including his role in the country’s Avant-Garde movement and the influence of the Group of Seven. The second takes a more intimate turn, chronicling his early years in Canada, where he balanced manual labour jobs—working as a dishwasher, janitor, and pizza chef—while continuing to create art from his home studio.
The third gallery expands outward, examining global migration through Gu’s later work and large-scale installations.
Among the highlights is Enclosures (1989–2026), an installation not seen since its debut at the landmark 1989 China/Avant-Garde Exhibition. Also featured are works from the Crushed Cans series (1991–93), which captures the cultural dislocation Gu experienced after arriving in Canada, and Yellow Cargo (2016–26), a large-scale installation exploring globalization through the experiences of migrant workers.
“Personal memory is the most authentic form of history,” Gu said in a statement. “Creating this exhibition has been a journey to retrace my artistic roots and the flow of my artistic development through migration and global changes.”
With its mix of deeply personal storytelling and global perspective, Becoming offers Kitsilano visitors a rare opportunity to engage with the work of an artist whose story mirrors the evolution of Vancouver itself.
Last modified: April 21, 2026
