Artist Statement
Catherine Chan is a transdisciplinary artist exploring social and ecological changes on human to geologic timescales. She works primarily in installation and photography, using narrative approaches to visualize philosophies of repair, reciprocity, and care.
Catherine is a graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver with a BFA in Photography, and holds an MFA (Studio Art) from the University of Guelph.
Prior to attending art school, Catherine completed her Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biogeography and Physics, and a Master of Science degree in Soil Science. She was a research scientist studying soil ecology and biochemistry, and her experiences in the natural sciences continue to inform her practice.
Her inspiration comes from the landscape, beauty found in unexpected places, and from the openness of people’s hearts.
Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
2024 MFA, University of Guelph (Studio Art)
2010 BFA, Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Photography)
2005 MSc, University of Guelph (Soil Science)
2001 Honours BSc, University of Toronto (Biogeography, Physics)
PUBLIC ART + Commissions
Realms of Possibility, Major Public Institution (under NDA), Toronto, ON (2027)
Interchange (artist team Catherine Chan + Ellie Niakan), Weston Park, West Vancouver BC
Familial (artist team Catherine Chan + Ellie Niakan), Queen's Park, New Westminster BC (temporary installation)
I’ve Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto ON
The Luminous Project, Capilano University, North Vancouver BC (Integral Group)
Seed Bank, City of Richmond No.3 Road Art Columns, Richmond BC (temporary installation)
Sediment Transport, Port Metro Vancouver, Vancouver BC (temporary installation)
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS + Residencies
2024 Fractures and Futures (solo exhibition), Art Gallery of Guelph, Guelph ON
2024 Expert Art Show, 1228 Dupont, Toronto ON
2023 Floorplan, Zavitz Gallery, Guelph ON
2023 Volume or Weight, Galerie Nicolas Robert, Toronto ON
2022 multi-+facets, Boarding House Gallery, Guelph ON
2021 Artist-in-Residence, The Gallery at Queen's Park, New Westminster BC
2021 Arts Council of New Westminster Winter Solstice Celebration, New Westminster BC
2019 International Living Futures Institute Earth Day Celebration & Exhibition, Vancouver BC
2018 Zero Carbon, Imagine Gallery, Vancouver BC
2016 Small Monuments to Food, City of Richmond No.3 Road Art Columns, Richmond BC
2015 10 for 10th, City of Toronto Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Toronto, Toronto ON
2014 For the Record: Roadmaps & Diaries, Living Arts Centre Gallery, Mississauga ON
2013-2014 Memory, Richmond Public Art Gallery, Richmond BC
2012 Container Art, Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver BC
2012 Postcards from Home, Ste. Emilie Skillshare, Montreal QC
2011 Connecting the Dots, Five Sixty Gallery, Vancouver BC
2011 Opening Borders/Opening Objects, University of Western Ontario Visual Arts, curated online exhibition
2010 Emily Carr 2010 External Photo Grad Show, The Lido Gallery, Vancouver BC
2010 Emily Carr Graduation Exhibition, ECU, Vancouver BC
2010 Concerning the Heart, UBC House of Learning, Vancouver BC
2009 I’m Fine, You’re Fine, On the Rise Artist Collective, Vancouver BC (catalogue)
2009 Moving Through the Image, Concourse Gallery ECU, Vancouver BC
2009 The Green Life, Concourse Gallery ECU, Vancouver BC
2009 Home, Leigh Square Community Arts Village, Port Coquitlam BC (catalogue)
2008 Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria BC
2008 This is Green, Concourse Gallery ECU, Vancouver BC
2007 Shift, Concourse Gallery ECU, Vancouver BC
Recognition + AWARDS
2023 2nd Year MFA Studio Art Scholarship, University of Guelph
2023 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (Visual Art)
2023 Margaret Priest Graduate Scholarship, University of Guelph
2022 – 2024 College of Arts Graduate Travel, Research, and Creation Fund, University of Guelph
2022 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Graduate Scholarship (Visual Art)
2022 Shortlisted for Navvy Jack Point Park Public Art Call, West Vancouver BC (artist team Catherine Chan + Ellie Niakan)
2019 Shortlisted for 1441 St Georges Public Art Call, North Vancouver BC (artist team Catherine Chan + Ellie Niakan)
2016 Awarded Project Funding, City of Richmond No.3 Road Art Columns
2015 Awarded Project Grant, City of Toronto Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Toronto
2010 Applied Arts Student Design Award (Photography)
2007-2010 Emily Carr University of Art + Design Scholarships
2009 CAPIC Rodeo Contest Finalist (Photography)
Conference Presentations + Artist Talks
2024 Ethos of materiality: balance, bodies, branches and beinghood, University Arts Association of Canada (UAAC/AAUC) Annual Conference
2024 Fractures and Futures Exhibition Walkthrough, Art Gallery of Guelph
2023 Room for Everyone: Opening Doors for Artist-parents and Their Families, University Arts Association of Canada (UAAC/AAUC) Annual Conference
2020 Visualize Your Brand: The Role of Photography and Storytelling. Canadian Society for Marketing Professional Services (CSMPS)
2015 Here, Hear, Nuit Blanche Toronto, Invited Artist Talk
PUBLICATIONS
2010 Schwartz, Phyllis. When Alexander’s Library Burned: Emily Carr University Grad Show, BC Potters 46(5): 4-5.
2009 Pawlak, Zoë and Merete Kristiansen. I’m Fine, You’re Fine. 14 Artists Respond to Climate Change, self-published.
2009 Chan, Catherine. An Act of Preservation: Photographing my Grandmother’s Funeral Portrait, DIVERSE Magazine, Issue One.
2008 Chan, Catherine. Considering the Environment through Art and Design, WOO Magazine, Issue Two.
2009 Chan, C., Kay, B. D. and Gregorich, E. G. Spatial Variability in Organic Carbon Stocks on Level Sites: Relation to Vertical Penetration of the A Horizon. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 89: 455-459.
2008 Chan, C., Kay, B. D. and Gregorich, E. G. Predicting a Ceiling for Soil Carbon Sequestration Under No-till in Eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 88: 775-786.
2008 Gregorich, E.G., Rochette, P., St-Georges, P., McKim, U.F., and Chan, C. Tillage Effects on N2O Emissions from Soils under Corn and Soybeans in Eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 88: 153-161.
2007 Chan, C., Kay, B. D. and Gregorich, E. G. Factors influencing mineralizable carbon in a landscape with variable topography. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 87: 495-509.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS & COMMITTEES
2023-2024 Universities Arts Association of Canada (UAAC/AAUC) Member
2008-present Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators (CAPIC)
2006-2009 Sustainability Working Group, Emily Carr University of Art + Design