This month, stories in the forms of photographs and paintings from local artists are lining the walls of businesses on Somerset Street.
The colourful additions to Ottawa’s Chinatown are part of the revived Chinatown Remixed art festival running until the end of October.
The festival, which ran annually since 2009, took a forced hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning last week, it aims to bring artists, businesses and community members together in celebration of Chinatown.
The opening celebrations saw speeches from festival supporters and local politicians including Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa Centre MPP Catherine McKenney and Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster.
McKenney recalled attending the festival when it first kicked off back in the 2000s.
“This type of event really has everything we need for strong neighbourhoods,” McKenney said. “(It has) everything that comes together to make a neighbourhood tighter knit, healthy and vibrant.”
Nine exhibits will be displayed across Chinatown until the end of the month as part of the festival. The miniature galleries feature work from local painters, illustrators, photographers and digital artists.
For creatives involved, like Ottawa-based visual artist An Nguyen, the festival offers a chance to give a voice to the history and culture that inspires their work.
Nguyen has her art featured at Fei Fung Kitchen on Somerset Street. Her paintings depict scenes ranging from jazz musicians at work to vibrant international cityscapes, done with bold colours and semi-abstract composition.
“When I first started painting, it was more about creating these whimsical, stylized paintings that took people away from their every day,” she said. “I’m constantly transported into other worlds.”
Nguyen’s upcoming exhibit, “Fortune,” which will be on display at the Atrium Art Gallery starting Nov. 6, comes from a more personal place. It tells the story of her family’s immigration to Canada after the Vietnam War, as well as her experience growing up as the child of immigrant parents.
“It follows not just the depressing part of war, but also the hopeful outcome of war,” Nguyen added of her art.
Prints of her painting “Abundance” from the exhibit are on display and for sale at Fei Fung Kitchen leading up to its official opening, along with some of her older work.
Nguyen recognized the importance of festivals like these in giving marginalized communities the opportunity to come together and share their culture and history.
“(Without Chinatown Remixed), I wouldn’t have been able to share this with anybody,” she said. “These stories would’ve been forgotten.”
While Nguyen’s work draws on her family’s past, photographer Yoni Sambo focuses his lens internationally. His exhibit, “Binondo,” is on display at Dumpling Bowl/Bubblicity Tea Shop, capturing life on the streets of Chinatown in Manila, Philippines, in the wake of the country’s recent typhoons.
Manila hosts the world’s oldest Chinatown area, established in 1594.
The most surprising part of Sambo’s work: it was shot just a few weeks ago.
“I almost didn’t do the exhibition,” he said. “I shot a bunch of stuff in the Philippines, but nothing was really refined … my cousins were like, ‘Why don’t we bring you to the world’s first Chinatown?’”
After doing some shooting in the area, Sambo said he knew instantly what the theme of his upcoming show would be.
“It was really cool to be able to bridge the gap between Chinatown in Manila and Chinatown here.”
Sambo said Chinatown Remixed has been a great way for artists to get exposure, while breathing life into the few blocks of Somerset Street with their work.
“Everyone says this city’s boring, but if you pay attention, there’s actually some pretty dope stuff happening.”
Featured image by Sam Bettney/the Charlatan
