Exhibition Background
MIXING RICE is an Artist in Community Project supported by SK Arts, which aims to transcend three Asian restaurants in the Riversdale community with visual art themed around Asian culinary culture. This project, collaborated by Chinese-Canadian artist Xiao Han and the Riversdale Business Improvement District, spires to gather local artists of diverse backgrounds and owners of Asian restaurants in the Riversdale community to provide solidarity and open a healing dialogue through visual language.
As one of the original settlements to form the city of Saskatoon, Riversdale was an important place for Chinese immigrants to set up business at the beginning of the 20th century. Even to the present day, this district still retains the cultural atmosphere unique to early Chinese diasporas. Despite the vibrant art scene in the neighbourhood, such as AKA artist-run Center, Paved Arts, The StoreFront, dedicated space for art about Asian culture was rarely seen. This project transforms Asian restaurants beyond simple places for people to indulge in exotic cuisines but accessible public spaces of education, cultural exchange, and aesthetic enjoyment. From October 15, 2021, till April 15, 2022, the team will exhibit artworks within the restaurant space to provide dynamic stimulation for the community by showcasing artworks with a cohesive theme about Asian restaurants and adding the presence of Asian Culinary Culture.
Our utmost sincere gratitude towards our supporters: SK ARTS and Riversdale Business Improvement District.
Riversdale BID
As one of the three founding communities uniting to form the city of Saskatoon in 1906, Riversdale was the natural home for many immigrant families arriving by train, registering at the Immigration Office where the Farmers' Market is located, and residing in nearby homes. Following the displacement of many Chinese businesses with new construction a century ago, Riversdale became home to a larger Asian population and business area as property records show. Here they joined people from many cultures around the world and created a strong business network in Riversdale and the 20th Street Commercial Corridor. Evidence of the local cultural comradery amidst a wider racial divide can best be demonstrated with the story of Morris "Two-Gun" Cohen. It was Cohen, a British white man who fought a robber trying to steal money from Mah Sam who owned the Alberta Restaurant on 20th Street West. Unheard of at the time, it truly proved the value of friendship between two people, regardless of culture or skin colour.
The decades of ebbs and flows of the new and old businesses continued and eventually, City Council created the RBID in 1990. Representing commercial and industrial property and business owners, the RBID manages this historic commercial corridor in unique and unconventional ways attracting culinary experiences, local retail opportunities, an artistic wealth of talent, businesses, and events recognized by the International Downtown Association in Washington, D.C. The RBID Board of Management acknowledged not only economic growth, but diversity within its mandate and Mission Statement. It is what sets this District apart from many others. Of note are the top three mother tongue languages are spoken by residents being English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. One can witness packed restaurants beyond Chinese New Year and Moon Festivals, and several Asian Market Stores supply many with authentic food items. Further proof that what started over a century ago, is still relevant with this project being proposed in the RBID.
The Riversdale Business Improvement District has successfully supported numerous art organizations in the past years and continues working on expanding the field and opportunities to showcase what we have to offer. The RBID will continue to support this partnership and project with primary artist Xiao Han and the guest artists. This isn't just about one project or art display. It is about the wider conversation occurring through this artistic channel, and supporting our friends like Morris Cohen and Mah Sam did in his restaurant on 20th Street that can reach beyond borders.
How appropriate to have this take place here now.
About Us
Mentor Artist: Xiao Han, the project founder, provides the curatorial framework, encouragement and motivation to the collaborative team.
Guest Artists: Biofeedback, Barbara Reimer, Qiming Sun, Negar Tajgardan, Jinglu Zhao, the group of selected Saskatoon-based emerging artists with professional artistic practice and contemporary art exhibition background.
Curatorial Team: Kyuubi Culture Artist Collective, an emerging artists and curators collective who provide hours and experiential knowledge on the exhibition framework and logistics.
Land Acknowledgment
We want to acknowledge that our project MIXING RICE is based on Treaty 6 Territory, the traditional gathering ground of diverse Indigenous peoples, and is the ancestral home of the Métis Nation, whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence and inspire our vibrant community. We are gracious for the Indigenous people who shared their compassion and resources with our Asian compatriots who left the chaos of their native homes and relocated to this land in the past few centuries; so we as immigrants, diasporas, and settlers could continue to offer our contribution in building this abundant land we now call home.
In the past 6 months, our attempt in the approach of diversification and decolonization in Riversdale has encouraged a deep engagement in how we understand attachments to architecture, histories, and land. We want to express our utmost sincere gratitude towards SK Arts and Riversdale BID. Without their generous support, our project could not have come to such fruition.