The Western Front

Born in Hong Kong and educated in Canada and the United States, Ho Tam works across many disciplines including painting, video, photography, print and public art. He has exhibited in various cities in North America, including recent showings at McMaster Museum of Art (Hamilton, CA) and the Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA). He is a graduate of Whitney Museum Independent Studies Program and Bard College, and currently teaches at the University of Victoria. Tam is represented by Paul Petro Contemporary Art (Toronto, CA).

In February 2005, Tam participated in the Canadian Forces Artist Program, which invites artists to experience and make art about the operations of the Forces. He traveled with the Canadian Navy on the HMCS Calgary from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii back to the Esquimalt Naval Base, BC. During this ten-day period, Tam started the project Romances by taking video footage, photographs and notes.

At Western Front Media Arts, Tam will use these documents to construct a fictional narrative that examines different fascinations with naval life and sea travel. His completed video work will offer possibilities for a relationship with the navy and the sea.

Please check our website for updates on the final presentation and artist talk towards the end of the residency.